Community Organizing in Cleveland, OH: A Snapshot By Anna Hutcheson, former Growing Democracy Project Manager & PhD Candidate at Kent State University The Cleveland Foundation, the world’s first community foundation, defines community organizing as “movement driven by the constituents of a community to build power and bring about systemic change” (CLE Foundation). It is especially noteworthy that this community-based organization, the first of its kind and still amongst the largest in existence, references Saul Alinsky’s rules of organization. Although Alinsky…

What even is Community Organizing? by Anna Hutcheson, former Growing Democracy Project Manager & PhD Candidate at Kent State University Community organizing: we hear talk of community organizing, neighborhood committees, activism and service. We are probably familiar with organizations in our communities that make claims about pursuit of social justice, equity, activism and fairness in our neighborhoods. What, though, does any of this really mean? Are neighborhood organizations and community organizations different words for the same thing? What are the…