ArcaMax

It's been my honor to know a few real heroes -- people who've selflessly dared to fight greed and oppression to advance the common good. Diane Wilson, for example.

For 40 years, this fiery fourth-generation fisherwoman from the Texas Gulf Coast has battled tenaciously for the rights and very survival of the area's hardscrabble fishing families. She and her grassroots allies have taken on Formosa Plastics, a $250 billion global corporate beast that has routinely dumped its chemical waste around Matagorda Bay, poisoning life and livelihoods.

But in 2019, in a lawsuit based on massive evidence collected by Wilson and her armada of volunteer kayakers, she won a stunning court victory, forcing the contaminator to pay $50 million for its malfeasance.

Wilson's fight was not just for her, and she did not get a penny from the Formosa settlement. But she won something richer than money -- "It felt like justice," she said of the court's judgment.

Importantly, the court didn't award the $50 million to some regulatory agency, but to a public trust administered by -- guess who? -- Wilson's allies! So she has been working tenaciously ever since to make sure the money directly benefits the poor families Formosa ran over. Especially promising is the trust's major grant to create the people's own Matagorda Bay Fishing Cooperative. It will provide dock space, supply contracts, processing ability, local jobs -- and the power for local people to forge their own future.

Why fight against overpowering odds for 40 years? Because of her strong principles ... and sheer stubbornness. "It's my home," Wilson says of the bay and its working-class community, "and I completely refuse to give it to that company to ruin."

WHO WILL ORGANIZE A PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY? US!

A lot of working-class voters who live outside of blue voting areas are asking: Where the hell is the Democratic Party?

Sad to say, the "Party of the People" is mired in Washington, controlled by a cadre of high-dollar consultants, corporate lobbyists, big donors and meek political leaders who've decided that "red" and rural American voters are lost causes. But grassroots progressives who live in those areas say: Bovine excrement! After all, you damn sure can't win if you don't bother to show up.

So, party inertia aside, progressive advocates for working-class values, policies and people must become the ground-level organizers to build a "little-d" democratic majority. Not by writing position papers but by "going there" in person, online or otherwise. Let's tap grassroots savvy to find ways to reach and move millions of people (just a few at a time) who're now not being reached or motivated.

Who will do this? Maybe you! Or someone you know: People (young or old) with talent/skills/ideas that are now not being fully used should consider this chance to make a difference. George Goehl, one of our nation's best organizers of community organizers, recently issued an open call for creative dedicated people to do new working-class organizing all across our country.

Don't know how? It basically involves learning to listen to local people. Goehl, with his team of seasoned organizers, will train and provide essential support for people whose organizing ideas are accepted. Happily, project positions come with a full-time salary, benefits and a start-up budget. The whole idea is to try new things, invest in what works ... and win!

Want to throw your hat and ideas into the mix? No charge to apply. You can fill out an application at georgegoehl.substack.com.

To find out more about Jim Hightower and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

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