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Community Organizing

The Biggest Threat To Charitable Donations

Aaron Dorfman | Posted 05.19.2013 | Impact
Aaron Dorfman

The federal government shouldn't be in the business of picking winners and losers regarding which charitable organizations its employees can support w...

Dave Jamieson

Labor Leader Leaves AFL-CIO To Head Community Organizing Network

HuffingtonPost.com | Dave Jamieson | Posted 05.16.2013 | Politics

WASHINGTON -- In a sign of how organized labor is trying to spread its roots more broadly in the progressive movement, Fred Azcarate, a longtime labor...

Asian Jewish Americans for Obama (VIDEO)

Josh Burstein | Posted 05.08.2013 | Comedy
Josh Burstein

When it comes to "The Issues" such as comprehensive immigration reform, Obama's grassroots efforts demonstrate a commitment to all constituencies, no matter their religion, race or creed.

Bust the Trust and the Bypass

Wenonah Hauter | Posted 04.19.2013 | Green
Wenonah Hauter

Farmers impart stories of having to sell their land and find other work because they can't compete in an unfair marketplace. Former neighborhood market owners explain how they've been pushed out of business by large national chains.

Building Community Projects With Crowdfunding

Kevin Lawton | Posted 04.15.2013 | Impact
Kevin Lawton

A growing trend is in the use of crowdfunding to build community oriented projects. Perhaps a small sampler of the many that have occurred or are ongoing, will serve as an inspiration to those who have a community need, but are looking for a mechanism to obtain funding.

My Rabbi Against Gun Violence

Joshua Stanton | Posted 04.11.2013 | Religion
Joshua Stanton

Gun violence is personal. It can kill people. It can make people grieve. It can cause an enduring sense of loss. But it is not a loss that we need to endure alone or without a voice. As Rabbi Mosbacher modeled for me, it can rally and sustain our efforts.

Learning From Sandy: Looking Back and Thinking Ahead

Laurie M. Tisch | Posted 04.11.2013 | New York
Laurie M. Tisch

Cristina, a vendor in Brooklyn, was out of work for more than two weeks and lost nearly $1,500 in inventory. Shawn, also in the Bronx, had started as a vendor just a month before the storm, and he couldn't afford to restock.

A Recipe for Community

Linda Buzzell | Posted 04.08.2013 | Healthy Living
Linda Buzzell

The bottom line? Any community gathering, organization or event that engages body, mind, soul and spirit has a far greater chance of surviving and thriving.

"Nobody Asked Us!" School Closings, Public Decision-Making, and, Yes, There Is a Better Way

Susan Naimark | Posted 04.04.2013 | Politics
Susan Naimark

Last week, thousands of teachers, parents, students and community leaders showed up in Chicago's downtown loop to protest the closing of 54 schools. Chicago is not alone: from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, public schools are being shuttered in low-income, urban communities of color.

Chicago's Unfair School Closings Will Gut Remaining Supports for Kids

Amy B. Dean | Posted 03.28.2013 | Chicago
Amy B. Dean

To this day, despite its progress, this is one of the most racially segregated cities in America. We have a moral imperative to speak up and demand that the education system treat all of our city's children equitably, independent of race and class.

New GOP Budget Bill Would Defund the Defunct ACORN. This Could Be Good News for Progressives

John Atlas | Posted 05.15.2013 | Politics
John Atlas

Even though ACORN has been dead for over 3 years, so meticulous are the Republicans at keeping federal funds away from this organization that helped the poor and has never been convicted of a crime, that they, in 2013, prohibit ACORN and its successors in interest from ever receiving federal funds.

Sick of the Sequester? Learn From Michigan Organizers

Laura Barrett | Posted 05.08.2013 | Detroit
Laura Barrett

The answer for Congress and the stalled action on the sequester? Michigan has some winning ideas.

What Is a Community Economy?

Alliance to Develop Power | Posted 04.22.2013 | Impact
Alliance to Develop Power

2012-11-13-jrlogo300x60.gifADP folks know too well the effects of global warming. In June 2011 their offices at 130 Union Street in downtown Springfield Massachusetts were devastated by a freak tornado.

Fund It, Fix It, Make It Fair: Public Transit in the New Economy

Alliance to Develop Power | Posted 02.04.2013 | Impact
Alliance to Develop Power

2012-11-13-jrlogo300x60.gif013 is the do-or-die year for Massachusetts's public transit systems. The Governor and Legislature have promised to fix their chronic funding crisis so they can repair, rebuild and replace their trains, buses and subway cars.

Community Organizing in Bulgaria

John Feffer | Posted 04.06.2013 | World
John Feffer

In the early days, NGOs enjoyed a rather high reputation in part because of the legacy of "anti-politics" from the earlier period. Today, however, NGOs don't meet with such universal acclaim.

From the Block to the Pulpit: Shot Callers in the Hood

Rev. Romal J. Tune | Posted 04.03.2013 | Black Voices
Rev. Romal J. Tune

Who's calling the shots on your block to save the lives of children and the community? What can you do to be known as a shot caller for change?

In Troubled Times, a Democratic Revival

Scott J. Peters | Posted 03.25.2013 | College
Scott J. Peters

The Dream Freedom Revival's performance is one example of what Imagining America is all about: catalyzing and organizing a revival in American higher education that emboldens scholars and students to join with others in their communities to do the public work of democracy.

Creating a Job Search Literacy Community Roundtable for MLK Jr. Day

Sudy Bharadwaj | Posted 03.20.2013 | Impact
Sudy Bharadwaj

Can you provide free workshops to help them realize what tools are available to pinpoint these local job openings? Or perhaps your area has low literacy rates, so holding resume and cover letter writing workshops would be beneficial for these job seekers.

Make Civic Engagement a Priority in the New Year

Ralph Nader | Posted 02.27.2013 | Politics
Ralph Nader

Many people view the New Year as a time for resolutions -- losing weight, exercising more, staying in better touch with friends, taking up a new hobby. Here's something you don't often hear of when considering New Year's resolutions -- devoting more time to civic life.

Social Justice Needs Funding

Aaron Dorfman | Posted 12.12.2012 | Impact
Aaron Dorfman

Whatever right-wing media would have us believe about the likes of George Soros and Warren Buffett and the philanthropic pursuit of "social justice," the truth is that social justice grantmaking is still a small fraction of foundation giving in this country.

Weathering the Storm, Together

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins | Posted 02.05.2013 | Green
Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

When neighbors plant food together, or find jobs improving buildings on their own block -- when they create reliable, safe infrastructure and common green space -- they increase their odds of surviving all kinds of hardships, from storms, to divisive politics, to economic recession.

It's Not the End, It's the Beginning

Donna Harris | Posted 02.05.2013 | Business
Donna Harris

This focus on playing second fiddle becomes an enabler to doing less than everything possible to support entrepreneurs locally. Should every city that isn't Silicon Valley simply throw up their hands in defeat?

Thanks to Community Organizing and the Neighborhood Model, Obama Did It Again

Lucy Emerson-Bell | Posted 02.04.2013 | Politics
Lucy Emerson-Bell

The Obama campaign strategically decided to focus on the power of one's inner circle to communicate a message, while the Romney campaign tried to rely on the power of paid media, focusing on advertising to get their message across.

Hurricane Sandy, LGBTQ Youth And The Power Of Community Organizing

John Blasco | Posted 01.09.2013 | Gay Voices
John Blasco

Those of us who are regularly made most vulnerable in this city -- including queer and trans youth -- understood exactly what was at stake: the fight over who matters when help comes and who gets prioritized in the systems we rely on in times of emergency.

Still Facing Wolves

Richard J. Rosendall | Posted 01.08.2013 | Politics
Richard J. Rosendall

The current Republican Party's predatory approach to power suggests that its totem is the wolf. Despite this week's historic election result, wolves remain with us.