Deepak Bhargava
Deepak worked on the national staff of ACORN from 1990 through 1994, first as a legislative representative and then as Legislative Director. In this interview, he talks about the significant power and influence that ACORN had on the national scene, due in large part to the organization’s mass membership base, coordinated national campaigns, regular presence in DC, and sophisticated national member/leaders. He talks specifically about ACORN’s work on housing and banking issues, the organization’s close relationships with senior members of Congress and the Clinton Administration, and the impact that the organization had on policy and legislative debates. Deepak then reflects on what he learned from ACORN, and the lessons from ACORN’s work, in his subsequent career at Community Change, at CUNY, and now at JPB.