If Jesse Ventura Can be Elected Governor of Minnesota, Just Think of What the Actions of a Few Social Workers Can Do

“We shocked the world,” Jesse Ventura declared when the voters in Minnesota, USA, elected him governor in 1999. If this brash, ex-professional wrestler can persuade people to vote him in as chief executive of a large Midwestern state, just think what the organized actions of social workers can do.

Any group that wants to accomplish something can learn from Jesse’s campaign. This article was the basis of a keynote speech I gave at Rhode Island College, School of Social Work, Conference on Social Action and Research, USA, Providence, R. I., May 18, 1999.