John O’Brien
2017
My perspective is that of a person active in the wave of social innovation in GA from the early ‘70s to the mid ‘80s. Since then my engagement in GA has been primarily as an interested citizen.
I see some important differences between the period of social innovation & today.
I see some continuities in GA’s environment that those who want to build the Beloved Community have consistently resisted.
I see some practices that I believe tend to work for those who sense & respond to the deep- seated human desire for equal partnership among citizens who journey in the spirit of more.
Times were changing
Conflicts around injustice driven by racism, sexism & economic inequality created a climate of activism & provided a frame for the articulation of disability rights.
Institutional conditions & the near complete lack of local services defined a claim on government that many citizens say as legitimate. Strong alliances between legislators & skilled citizen lobbyists organized locally by state & local ARCs advanced this claim..
