Archive for the Youth Organizing Category
Realizing the Promise: The Meaning of This Moment (Part 1)
By Deepak Bhargava
Source: Center for Community Change
November 5, 2008
“The United States has lived through 40 years of retrenchment in our national government’s commitment to social justice. We have suffered ugly culture war politics that have targeted the most vulnerable people in our country as scapegoats. The election results last night, the deteriorating economy, and changes in public mood now create an opening for transformational, progressive change. History teaches us that such openings are rare, and that we will realize the promise only if there is a dynamic relationship between political leadership and independent, organized movements that extend democratic practice beyond election day into governance.
What is the meaning of this incredible election? We’re seeing the convergence of several powerful forces that together create the possibility of transformative change: the rise of community organizing principles in our national political life; the dramatic erosion in the ideological standing of free-market fundamentalism; the seeds of a progressive alternative; and the emergence of a new progressive coalition…” Click here to read the full text.
Youth United for Community Action (YUCA) has released Homeless Now? East Palo Alto Tenants Struggle to Pay Rent Increases. The report documents the experiences and amplifies the voices of low-income community members facing steep and illegal rent increases for poorly maintained buildings. In collaboration with tenants, YUCA produced the report to expose the abusive practices of Page Mill Properties and inform public opinion, particularly San Mateo County Superior Court Judges. Homeless Now? complements the community mobilization efforts of several grassroots East Palo Alto groups toward identifying and enforcing a legal solution which upholds tenants rights. YUCA utilized the Foundation’s Capacity Building and Opportunity Fund to underwrite a portion of the publication costs.