Maureen McGoorty
Maureen McGoorty joined ACORN as a volunteer in the summer of 1976 to work on a canvassing campaign in Little Rock, AK against Arkansa Power and Light to lower utility rates for residents of all classes and races. While in Little Rock, she had the opportunity to work directly with Wade Rathke, Zach Pollette, and Seth Borgas, who greatly influenced her. Born in Chicago in a Catholic family committed to treating everyone equally, Maureen dropped out of her senior year in college at the University of Michigan to stay in Little Rock and be with the organizer she soon married, Mike Shea. She and Mike were next sent to Denver, Colorado to open a Colorado ACORN office. Door knocking led to the creation of the “JePaco Crossing” campaign to stop Denver Broncos fans from parking in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. Maureen describes how this successful campaign fueled her commitment to ACORN and how she and Mike “lived ACORN” supporting each other in the work. After a move to New Orleans so that Mike could become National Campaign Director, Maureen became pregnant with their first child. As the first ACORN couple to have a child with no maternity insurance coverage provided, Maureen tells how she managed as a young mother who “lived for ACORN.” She ultimately left ACORN as a staff member in 1980 in order to get full time jobs to support Mike and their growing family of two sons. She remained supportive of Mike’s work throughout and committed to ACORN’s principles for empowering people across class lines to work together to make changes in their lives. This interview will be of interest to anyone looking into the ACORN organizing culture, the Jefferson Park neighborhood campaign in Denver, and domestic life during early ACORN days and actions.