Playing Bigger Than You Are: A Life In Organizing is the fascinating and compelling story of a man's determination to empower everyday Americans in their communities and workplaces. We meet people from all walks of life--working people, fellow organizers, politicians, clergy, protesters, union folks, the disenfranchised. We even fear for his safety as he participates as a UN observer during the first democratic election in war-torn Sierra Leone.
Stewart Acuff developed his skills as a grassroots organizer in Texas, Tennessee, and New Hampshire. From there he went on to union organizing and founded Georgia SEIU Local Union 1985, later becoming president of the Atlanta chapter of the AFL-CIO. As president, he organized and led the historic campaign to unionize the 1996 Summer Olympics, labor's biggest victory ever in the South. During his tenure as organizing director of the national AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C., from 2001 to 2008, the labor movement grew more than it had in a generation. He also developed the policy and legislation that became known as the Employee Free Choice Act and led the campaign for its passage.
In this book we get a rare and readable glimpse into the life of an organizer. Acuff's story is one of stress, frustration, and disappointment being overcome by enduring hope and a belief in a righteous cause. No wonder Playing Bigger Than You Are: A Life In Organizing has been called "amazing and inspiring."