Oral Histories

Maude Hurd

   March 7, 2023

   

Member/Leader, Boston, 1983-2010; President, National, 1990-2010

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1. March 7, 2023 Interviewed by Lindsay Zafir
2. March 7, 2023 Interviewed by Lindsay Zafir
3. March 7, 2023 Interviewed by Lindsay Zafir

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Maude Hurd joined ACORN as a volunteer member in 1983, becoming the organization’s president in 1990 through ACORN’s closure in 2010. In this interview, Hurd talks about her childhood in Georgia, including her participation in a Woolworth’s sit-in, her early experiences organizing to fill vacant lots in Dorchester, her later experiences as president of the organization, her reflections on the kind of power that ACORN was able to build, and her thoughts on the end of ACORN. The interview may be of interest to those who want to learn about neighborhood organizing, volunteer participation in membership-based organization, and the history of community organizing.