Larry Rodgers
Larry Rodgers joined ACORN in the early 1970s, later becoming a community leader, a Quorum Court officer, and then ACORN’s national president. He grew up in Little Rock and worked at IBM. While at IBM, he began talking with a co-worker, Steve McDonald, who was involved in ACORN, about the issues in the community. Larry hadn’t been involved in politics before, but he decided to join. In this interview, Larry talks about early ACORN campaigns in Little Rock, including against the development of a freeway through the center of town and the city’s decision to move a hospital out of central Little Rock. He discusses tactics, member recruitment, and what early ACORN meetings were like. He also talks about national campaigns, including the squatter campaign and the anti-redlining campaigns, and the national conventions in Philadelphia and New York. In addition, he discusses ACORN’s multiracial membership, how he balanced volunteering with ACORN with a full-time job, and the relationship between members and staff. The interview would be of interest to those who are interested in neighborhood organizing, multiracial community organizing, membership-based organizing, and the relationship between local and national organizing.