Bertha Lewis on Life After ACORN

http://www.theroot.com/views/bertha-lewis-life-after-acorn

The former president of the defunct community-organizing group is back with a new venture. She talks about the video scandal, lambastes Democrats with "no spine and no courage" and explains how the conservative right actually helped her move forward.

One year after the community-organizing group ACORN disbanded -- after an undercover video scandal and a denial of federal funds by Congress -- the organization's former president is back. Today Bertha Lewis is at the helm of the Black Institute, her newly created "action tank" dedicated to immigration reform, environmental justice, education and economic fairness.

While Lewis is optimistic about her latest endeavor, she still can't escape the controversy surrounding ACORN. Once the nation's largest grassroots network for the poor, it provided employment services and advocated for affordable housing. But the organization acquired notoriety during the 2008 campaign when it registered more than 1 million low-income voters but submitted thousands of registration cards with phony names and addresses.

Although ACORN workers had themselves flagged and reported the suspicious cards, the organization was peppered with accusations of voter-registration fraud, and became a target for Republicans convinced that it was a criminal enterprise.

More at the link --