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The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy

An examination of legendary community organizer Saul Alinsky’s life and legacy through the work being done by contemporary “people’s organizations.”

Premiere Date

November 1, 1999

Length

60 minutes

Funding Type

Co-Production

Famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass wrote, “Power concedes nothing without demand.” The Democratic Promise: Saul Alinsky & His Legacy is the story of ordinary people making demands for the power to govern their own lives. Narrated by Alec Baldwin, the documentary examines both the history of community organizing — through the work of Saul Alinsky — as well as the current state of community organizing, as shown by contemporary organizations in New York and Texas. In a larger sense, the program is about the restoration of American democracy through shared public participation in civil life — a vital antidote to an era of increased citizen alienation and voter apathy.