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Organizing
Community development relies on policies, resources, and recognition that were won by decades of organizing—and organizing remains essential to face new threats, preserve existing wins, and continue to fight back against the big lie that the way things are is inevitable.
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A Catalyst for Change in Oakland: Annette Miller
Community organizer Annette Miller has turned personal tragedy into a force for good. This video is part of Shelterforce’s Women of Color on the Front Lines series.
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Organizing and the Community Land Trust Model
What happens when organizers win a campaign for community control of land? That depends a lot on the choices they make about how to exercise that control.
Have We Forgotten How to Fight?
I write from Wisconsin, now in its fifth year of rule by an entrenched right-wing government that the voters keep re-electing. In that short time, we have lost voting rights, […]
NAACP’s Journey for Justice And Voting Rights
We live in interesting times. Two years ago, immigrant leaders from across the country camped out on the National Mall in the Fast for Families to inspire a hunger strike, […]
EPA Should Make Environmental Justice Job One
The EPA is making news lately. Unfortunately, it’s not for protecting the environment or victims of pollution. Activist groups, low income residents of communities plagued by toxins, and journalists are […]
Three Ways Your City Can Prosper by Embracing Equity
[Editor's Note: This post originally ran on the National League of Cities blog on August 26, 2015]. Two years ago, New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio captivated voters with […]
Can’t Be in the Gulf for the Katrina Anniversary? Watch These Films Instead
Tomorrow is the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, leading to all sorts of reflections on how far the city has come, what recovery means, and what lessons there are to […]
Better Loans, Better Laws: Showing Communities What “Home” Looks Like
For generations, Americans from across the nation, the demographic spectrum and the income strata have strived for homeownership, working from the premise that it is the key to long-term financial […]
Cross-Community Collaboration on NYC’s Municipal ID Program
Lack of identification hurts many different groups in different ways—from the homeless to immigrants, and they all need to be considered in the fight for an alternative.
Are You Hindering Your Organization’s Potential?
Last month I had the pleasure of hearing activist, teacher, and author Angela Davis as she addressed an audience of community organizers and activists in St. Louis. Much of what […]
REO to Rental: Wall Street’s Latest Idea Hurts California Communities
Over the last few years, communities have witnessed the latest iteration of Wall Street predation—the purchase in bulk of distressed single-family mortgages and foreclosed homes (REOs) with the intent to rent them—so called REO to Rental.
Industry and Advocates: To Truly Help Homeowners, Work Together
In recent months, the once very under-the-radar debate about manufactured home financing has gotten much more attention than is typical for the industry. At issue are lending regulations promulgated by […]
We Know Whose Fault Poverty Is–So Why Do Our Terms Blame the Poor?
Shelterforce began, 40 years ago, as a newspaper for tenant organizers. They were legal aid lawyers and similar rabble rousers in small cities in Northern New Jersey, wanting to connect […]