“Glenn Beck may have simply been ahead of his time!” wrote Wade Rathke, ACORN founder, in a message to supporters recently. In that same message, Rathke noted that ACORN is gaining some global traction.
Though ACORN shuttered its US operations last year, when its funding dried up as a result of being ambushed by conservative activist James O’Keefe, the outfit’s community organizers are taking their progressivist vision to the international market. ACORN International has just set up offices in South Korea and Prague, according to NOLA.com.
With the fall of the Berlin Wall still a fresh (and happy) memory for many Czech residents, ACORN’s Prague division has ironically decided to call itself the ACORN Comrades Club.
ACORN International has also established itself in Egypt.
Rathke wrote to supporters:
And, perhaps even more thrilling, I have now heard from a number of activists involved in organizing in Cairo in the last several weeks. They are talking about developing a ‘Peoples’ Plan’ for development in a number of the poorer areas in the wake of the democracy debate and want to connect with our efforts in doing a similar plan after Katrina in New Orleans,”
According to the organization’s website, ACORN’s international presence extends to at least eight other nations:
ACORN International (Community Organizations International) is a federation of community based non-profit organizations working in countries around the world. We have affiliate offices in Argentina, Peru, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Kenya, Honduras and India working on campaigns as diverse as: affordable housing, living wages, provision of water and sanitation, education, and health care reform.
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