Forum: Political Engagement in Neighborhoods

Posted by on July 9, 2004

Forum: Political Engagement in Neighborhoods: Stories and Strategies

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
1779 Massachusetts Ave., NW, ?Root Room? (2nd Floor)
Washington, DC
(Dupont Circle Metro)
2:00-4:30 PM

Strong neighborhoods are politically engaged. Whether it?s a school board race, a zoning board meeting about a new affordable housing development, or backyard discussions about national candidates, politics is local. Engagement in the political process is a key component of vibrant, dynamic neighborhoods. There are a number of strategies for creating a sense of political awareness and ownership within neighborhoods, from organizing residents around a specific issue, to campaigning for local candidates, to litigating for disenfranchised communities.

Whatever the strategy, there is a need for leadership from both local and national advocacy groups. NNC facilitates dialogue between advocates to ensure coordinated strategies and neighborhood inclusion. Join NNC as we discuss community engagement in the political process. Distinguished speakers for our July event include:

? Eli Lee, Executive Director of Soltari, Inc., a progressive political consulting firm based in Albuquerque, will share his experience working on electoral campaigns at the local and state level, as well as his work with organizations like the New Mexico Drug Policy Project, PODER, and Youth United for Change.

? The Federation of Southern Cooperative?s Shirley Sherrod discusses strategies for organizing a Black farmers movement in rural Georgia.

? Richard Guest, an attorney with the Native American Rights Fund, will discuss his organization?s class-action litigation in support of Native Americans.

NNC?s quarterly Community Engagement Forums engage neighborhood advocates in dialogues about policies and strategies for creating sustainable change in low-income neighborhoods. Our last forum featured experienced leaders in public health, affordable housing, arts and community development who discussed community engagement as a prerequisite for healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Subsequent forums will delve more deeply into specific paths to community engagement.

** Copies of NNC?s new publication, Connectivity, will be available at the forum. Stop by to pick up the first issue of this thought-provoking magazine with perspectives from neighborhoods on neighborhoods. This issue focuses on community engagement as a strategy for shaping strong neighborhoods. It features perspectives from our April Forum, profiles of the panelists and summaries of NNC?s contributions to low-income neighborhood development across the nation.