Cold Anger: A Story of Faith and Power Politics

by Mary Beth Rogers, Bill Moyers (Introduction)

Cold Anger is an important book about the empowerment of working-class communities through church-based social activism. Such activism is certainly not new, but the conscious merger of community organizing tactics with religious beliefs may be. The organizing approach comes from Aul Alinsky and his Industrial Areas Foundations (IAF). . . . The book is structured around the polifical life of Ernesto Cortes Jr., the lead IAF organizer who has earned recognition as one of the most powerful individuals in Texas (and who has been featured on Bill Moyers' “World of Ideas”). . . . Cortes fashioned a hard-ball Alinsky approach onto the natural organizing ground of church-based comunities. The experiment began in San Antonio . . . and was successful in the transformation of San Antonio politics.

Such dramatic success . . . led to similar efforts in Houston, Fort Worth, El Paso, the Rio Grande Valley, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and New York, to mention only a few sites. Expansion beyond San Antonio meant organizing among Protestant churches, among African American and white, and among middle-class communities. In short, these organizing efforts have transcended the particularistic limits of religion, ethnicity, and class while maintaining a church base and sense of spiritual mission. . . .

Rogers's clearly written book will be of great value to the scholar, student, and layperson interested in urban politics, ethnic relations, social movements, or church activism.

Genres: Nonfiction, Social Justice

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sal Valdez]

because i know ernesto cortes, my reading of this book is that much more interesting

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Key text on effective organizing.

[Sarah Boyette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating description of giving populations more power and helping them learn how to use their own voice.

[Monica Guzmán · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read to learn how to move from emotional/hot anger to action-oriented cold anger.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one who had little prior knowledge of the IAF and community organizing, Rogers did a wonderful job intriguing the reader but providing basic information on Cortes and the IAF. Her use of individual stories and examples of IAF organizations showed the reader how such organizations function but also revealed the amazing work being done through the IAF. Cortes surely made the book an even better read because of his humor and personality. This combined with Rogers ability to breakdown the details within gripping stories made the book a joy to read. It was information and captivating all at once, which is something to say about a book on community organizers. Instead of the typical Saul Alinsky type personalities, Rogers reveals the true heart of the IAF through Cortes, Chambers and other professional organizers who have found ways to sustain their work while still being effective.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the same lines of Mike Gecan's Going Public, Cold Anger tells the stories of another community organizer, Ernie Cortez, in south Texas. Not as great on the theoretical aspects of organizing, this story is told through a third party; an observer who spent time with Cortez and watched him in action. While there isn't the intensity of Going Public, Cold Anger is another great primer in community organizing.