Advancing Community Power Through Culture, Equity and Justice

31Oct11

Last week (10/24 – 10/26) I attended the Neighborhood Funders Group conference in New Mexico. The Neighborhood Funders Group is a membership association of grant making institutions whose mission is to strengthen the capacity of organized philanthropy to understand and support community-based efforts to organize and improve the economic and social fabric of low-income urban neighborhoods and rural communities. Each year their conference provides information, learning opportunities, and other professional development activities to their national membership, and encourages the support of policies and practices that advance economic and social justice.

This year’s conference theme was Advancing Community Power through Culture, Equity and Justice and included an array of regional and national leaders speaking to this theme. I had a few key takeaways from my time there.

1) The demographics of our country are changing. Fast. And as the birth rates of US-born residents continue to decline and the Baby Boom generation retires, immigrants and their children are critical to U.S. economic vitality and global competitiveness.
2) Together with longtime residents, newcomers can contribute to solving community challenges and help address long-standing social issues like poverty and racial inequalities.
3) To effectively create an agenda that is focused on building healthier, more equitable communities, we will need to intensify the debate around equity, race, access, and civic engagement.
4) This changing landscape requires philanthropy to develop multi-faceted approaches, supported and sustained by many diverse stakeholders.
5) We will especially need to create pathways and opportunities for the experiences and voices of all community members to participate in the discussions that lead to the development of successful solutions.
6) As we move into 2012, we must remember that the challenges facing Americans are felt even more acutely among our most vulnerable communities; often communities of color.
7) Issues of education, incarceration, immigration, environment, health, employment, and housing will be center stage.
8 ) In what will undoubtedly continue to be a difficult political, social and, economic environment, communities across the country will continue to fight to maintain a voice in the democratic process while developing new strategies geared towards advancing their collective power.
9) Along with new investments in our physical and community infrastructures, coalition building and the adoption of new, more inclusive frames for moving forward policy agendas will be needed.
10) Changing demographics will require more inclusive, authentic, and united progressive coalitions that build power and alliances amongst diverse stakeholders.
11) If we are to be successful, the voices of those most impacted need to be better included in planning and decision-making process.

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