George and LaVerne Butts
George and LaVerne Butts were involved with ACORN from 1985-2005. They joined the Philadelphia chapter as members in 1985, themselves looking to own a home. From there, they became more and more involved as leaders in the organization’s housing and banking/CRA campaigns. In this interview, George and LaVerne discuss doing this work as a couple, equally invested and involved, and how George’s analytical style combined with LaVerne’s ability to connect with people on an emotional level was like a “one-two-punch” for their organizing. They speak about arguing for a more holistic approach to change-making, and the importance of both listening and offering solutions. They describe their role as members as being representatives of their community, whose job it was to communicate to the staff what their community needed. George says these conversations were essential, and at times, could get heated. They described regular staff turnover, and how new Philly staffers would get sent to them to learn the ropes. In this interview, George and LaVerne also cover their work organizing “Bank Fairs” (which LaVerne first pioneered), where they gathered bank and city representatives to provide information to the community about home ownership, credit, mortgages, city and state programs, etc. At one point, they held a Bank Fair for over 10,000 people at a convention center. They also discuss sitting at the table with bank leadership to get CRA money for their communities, and how ACORN Housing Corp. got started out of these negotiations. Additionally, they talk about the first home they owned, which they got through “sweat equity” after taking over an abandoned house in Germantown, fixing it up, and eventually rolling it into a construction loan and mortgage. Finally, they talk about the hole ACORN left as an organization with national coordination and reach, and how the organization should’ve fought harder to survive.