Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that community organizer and political activist Saul Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals"(1971) contains concepts of organizing the masses, action, tactics and communication by means of mutual understanding. The author lists Alinsky's rules for social change as they relate to the profession of social work, which is inextricably intertwined with social reform. The paper states that the author, who is Latino, the largest minority in the U.S., during moments of feeling powerless and helpless, feels the importance of serving as an advocate for this at-risk population as suggested by this book.

From the Paper:

"Alinsky's in-depth description of how to go about mass organization was truly motivating for me as I related his teachings to my passion and the current "hot topic" of immigration reform. You made a comment in class one day that has stuck with me and made me reevaluate my role/support of this campaign. You said that a successful movement could not exist without a captivating "Hearts and Minds" campaign. Subsequent viewings of the news and other political hype made me realize that proponents of this issue are all over the board. If I was not as informed on this topic as I currently am, I would have no idea what organizers were trying to present to me. Amnesty for undocumented workers? Citizenship? Workers' rights? Mass deportation? What does it all mean?"

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