dakason | Community Organizer Genealogy Project

Drew Akason

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Work History

Start Year	End Year	Organization	Position
1970	1973	Lake County Inner City Task Force (became the Calumet Community Congress)	Organizer
1972	1974	IAF trainee: Community Action Program/South Shore neighborhood	other
1974	1975	Missouri Delta Ecumenical Ministry	Lead Organizer
1975	1976	East Toledo Community Organizing Sponsoring Committee (Birmingham Neighborhood Coalition)	Lead Organizer
1976	1980	West Oak Lane Concerned Citizens	Organizer Lead Organizer
1980	1982	Homeowner's Federation	Lead Organizer
1982	1984	Waterloo Citizens for Community Improvement	Lead Organizer
1984	1986	Cedar Rapids Citizens for Community Improvent	Lead Organizer
1986	1987	Maine Association of Handicapped Persons	Lead Organizer
1987	1995	Voices for Illinois Children	other Organizer

Organizer Profile

What brought you into the work?:

In late 1969 I was personally challenged to see how well my inchoate rage and belief in imminent upheaval would play out in direct activity amongst working folks.

Share 3 lessons you have learned through your work in organizing.:

Courage needs to be cultivated. How internal decision making is conducted is essential. Organizing new issues and people is an organizational imperative.

Who has inspired you in your organizing?:

Samuel Adams. The Nonpartisan League. Emiliano Zapata.

What movements or political moments have most influenced your organizing career?:

Too hard to answer without sounding trite and/or pompous.

Share an accomplishment or list accomplishments from your career in organizing.:

Organizing is a collaborative effort. Hard to say, from my view, that any individual organizer accomplishes anything as a personal "accomplishment;" unless we're talking about salary level, title, or award. There are parks and schools that organizations I worked for opened or saved. There's health care equipment that came sooner than it might have. There are State and local laws that were passed or blocked. Would take more than 150 words for thirty years and you'd have to have a debate on responsibility and desirability.

What are the barriers to successful community organizing in this country? How can we overcome these barriers?:

What do you mean by "community organizing?" is the first barrier and what is your definition of "successful?" is the second. The lack of any independent critical faculty is another. The level of organizer training is another. That we don't seem to have an intelligent model that unites organizing, economic development, and political work is yet another.

Are you still in organizing? If not, in what other fields have you worked? What are you doing now?:

I haven't been an organizer since 1997. I've been project director for several things, a lobbyist, a consultant to foundations and non-profit agencies, and a political consultant. Currently I'm writing a book.

Genealogy

Visualize Drew Akason's organizational relations

Drew Akason's Trainers

Who developed and/or trained you as an organizer?

Person	Organization
Chambers, Ed	Citizens Action Program - IAF
Wright, Jim	Lake County Inner City Task Force (became the Calumet Community Congress)

Drew Akason's Coaches

Who has mentored, coached, or consulted with you in your organizing career?

Person	Organization
Harless, Roger	Council On Community Organizations (COCO)
Trapp, Shel	various

Drew Akason's Peers

Which of your peers influenced your development as an organizer?

Person	Organization
Capraro, James	various

Drew Akason's Trainees

Whom have you developed or trained as an organizer? (Please list people who have stayed in the field or a related field for at least three years.)

Drew Akason's Coachees

Who did you mentor, coach, or consult with you in your organizing career? (Please list people who have stayed in the field or a related field for at least 3 years.)

Person	Organization
McGuffin, Neil	Council On Community Organizations (COCO)
Robinowitz, Robin	Council On Community Organizations COCO