Activist talks at Civic House

Politicians run from Kate Atkins right and left, but that doesn't bother the lead organizer of Philadelphia's Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now one bit. Tuesday night, Atkins spoke before a small audience of students at Civic House about her activist role within ACORN in mobilizing members of low income areas to take progressive action within their neighborhoods. "There are so many issues hitting low-income people, but they just don't have the power," Atkins said. Sponsored by the Tzedek Hillel Community Service Initiative, Atkins' talk highlighted ACORN's successes in Philadelphia. The initiatives include spearheading a coalition effort to pass a Living Wage Bill, which would raise the minimum wage to $7.90 per hour for thousands of Philadelphians. The organization also set the agenda for housing rehabilitation in Philadelphia through a meeting with the Office of Housing, and for the cleaning and sealing of over 100 homes in North, South, and West Philadelphia through ACORN's L&I; Committee. "I work in low income neighborhoods, going door to door, asking people what changes they would like to see take place," Atkins said. For funding, ACORN relies on the $60 annual dues from its members, in addition to grants and fundraisers. On the difficulty of her job, Atkins said: "Out of 40 doors, 10 will let you in, and out of those ten, five are angry that I'm asking for money, three won't join because they don't have the money and two actually join and become involved." Atkins speech was followed by a brief question and answer period from members of the audience, whose interests ranged from health education to homeless advocacy. Started in Little Rock, Ark. in 1970 and founded in Philadelphia in 1977, ACORN is now the largest organization of low- and moderate-income people in the country with nearly 100,000 member households. In addition to Atkins, there are currently six other organizers in Philadelphia for its nine neighborhood chapters, comprised primarily of young, recent college graduates and low income workers. The issues of focus are based on the concerns of the membership, in addition to those of the national executive board. One of Atkins most recent projects was a campaign against predatory bankers. "These banks, like the Money Store, red line specific high-risk areas to target and charge ridiculous interest rates and structure loans so they are more likely to foreclose," Atkins said. Following her talk, several students expressed their support for Atkins. "She was a great speaker," College junior Victor Chien said. "There is an element missing on campus, not in programming, but a lot more Penn students need to know about these events." Despite the difficulties Atkins said she faces in her job, she maintains that the rewards greatly make up for them. "I love it and this is what I'm going to be doing," she said. "I like dealing with people face to face every day, I like how 100 people have the power to take over a room for a second, and I like the long-term relationships I form with people."