The
three leaders profiled on this page represent the variety of people
involved in National People’s Action. Their long-term commitment
to their community organizations
and to NPA has helped develop their own leadership skills and strengthen
their neighborhoods.
Each
has a unique story on how they became involved in community organizing
and their aspirations for NPA’s future.
Marylou
Symmes
Chairperson
Anti-Displacement Project
Springfield, MA
How
long have you been involved with National People's Action?
Seven years
How long have you been with the Anti-Displacement Project?
Nine years
Why did you become involved in community organizing?
I became involved when the owner of my housing complex wanted to
pre-pay the mortgage. He could have raised the rent above market
price and it would no longer be affordable housing. We organized
around it so the building became tenant-owned and we now control
it.
What is your defining moment as a leader?
I used to go to a lot of meetings and sit in the back and just listen.
I also used to travel with the president of my tenant group who
was also the chair of the A-DP to these meetings that were 40 miles
away. He used to practice what he was going to say at the meetings
as we traveled back and forth.
One day he was suddenly rushed into the hospital and we had a meeting
with the governor’s office. I had to step up because I was
the only person who knew what he was going to say. After that I
began taking on more roles and I became more confident in myself.
Once I started talking, I couldn’t shut up.
What does your organization get out of working with NPA?
We’ve learned so much on organizing and how to make it work.
We’ve built good relationships with other groups and learned
from them. When we first started out, we had
never really done a hit. After going to NPA, we learned how to do
one. We did a hit on my own landlord and won control of the building.
What are your hopes for the future?
I always want to learn new things. When we first started, we were
strictly a housing group. Since then, we have expanded so much.
I don’t think I can never not learn. I always bring something
new back from NPA. It’s wonderful this group is keeping people
together. It makes a big difference for our communities.
 John
Viramontes
Northwest Neighborhood Federation
Chicago, IL
How
long have you been involved with National People’s Action?
Four years.
How long have you been involved with the Northwest Neighborhood
Federation?
Five years
Why did you become involved in community organizing?
Prior to be being with NNF it was a mystery to me how to address
problems. I always thought it was someone else’s job, that
someone else was the expert, it was someone else’s responsibility.
When I got involved with NNF I realized that I could address problems
in the neighborhood. NNF showed me how to do that.
I also associated with people who had similar awakenings. Other
people were struggling with the same issues of learning how to confront
the powers that be.
What is your defining moment as a leader?
My first trip to Washington, DC. We were doing an action in the
basement of a hotel against factory farmers. They were having dinner
and they didn’t expect a thing. I saw all the other leaders
marching around the table and chanting. But I didn’t see anyone
leading the chants or leading the group. We were going around the
room chanting and there was no focal point.
At that moment, I felt like someone grabbed me by the shirt and
dragged me to the middle. I was almost not in control of myself.
I raised my hand and began to keep the beat with the chant and urge
people on.
I learned that the average person can step forward and be a leader.
What
do you get out of the National People’s Action Conference?
I’m taken out of my everyday life and I’m landing in
the most powerful city in the world and participating in future
decision-making. There is a fluidity with the kind of work I do
in Chicago that can be transferred to another environment like Washington,
DC.
Whenever I come back home or if I ever feel that things aren’t
going right, I think back about our times in Washington to give
myself a boost. When I know that things aren’t going well
right now all I have to do is remind myself of all the actions we
had in DC and all the new faces I met to remind me that I’m
part of a larger group.
What are your hopes for the future?
For the new leaders at NPA, I want them to realize that our journey
began many years ago and their journey is just beginning and they
need to stay involved to deal with new community issues as they
come up.
Raymond
Collins
Board Member
Blocks Together
Chicago, IL
How
long have you been involved with National People’s Action?
Three years.
How long have you been with Blocks Together?
Five years.
Why did you become involved in community organizing?
Because I wanted the community to be better. It was horrible the
way it used to be. There was garbage on the ground, gangbangers
everywhere, people leaning on your fence. Also, I saw my mom going
to meetings.
She seemed
to be having fun. I wanted to see what it was all about.
What is your defining moment as a leader?
The moment I really knew I was a leader was when I first got on
stage and talked to a politician in front of a lot of people. It
was [former Chicago Public Schools CEO] Paul Vallas. It was about
building a new school.
What do you get out of NPA?
What I get out of NPA is meeting a lot of new people from different
places and that your communities are all different but they’re
all the same in certain ways. We all go through a lot of the same
problems.
What are your hopes for the future?
I want to be the first NPA youth co-chair.
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