This week the Republican party heralded the themes of “Country First” and “Service” at their national convention. Throughout the week they highlighted numerous examples of bravery and courage among service persons and civilians alike. Service is a core value of this party and its 2008 convention.Then came a series of speeches on Wednesday night—particularly the speeches given by Rudy Giuliani and Governor Sarah Palin. What I heard astounded me. Both speakers blatantly belittled and mocked the little-known (now more well-known due to Barack Obama) role of community organizer.
I was utterly appalled when I listened as Giuliani eagerly waited the audience’s response after making the remark, “He worked as a community organizer. What? … OK, maybe this is the first problem on the resume.” I couldn’t believe it.
It didn’t stop there. In her acceptance speech, Governor Sarah Palin stated, “I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer… except that you have actual responsibilities.”
One can argue that Governor Palin was simply comparing the responsibilities of the office of President with that of the responsibility of a community organizer. Definitely there is little comparison. However, to diminish the role or value of community organizers is despicable.
Certainly the responsibility of a neighborhood community organizer doesn’t equate to the responsibility of the President of the United States—nothing can— but Giuliani and Palin didn’t make that distinction. Rudy Giuilani called Obama’s service as a community organizer the first “problem” on Obama’s resume, but nothing could be further from the truth.
A community organizer is a grassroots warrior. A community organizer is someone who sacrifices his or her time, energy, resources—and very often higher earnings— to rally and empower families and communities to fight for the causes in which they believe—whether it’s working to improve educational opportunities for neighborhood children, ridding the neighborhood of abandoned homes and drug havens, organizing to bring job training and jobs after plants have closed, fighting to get fresh produce at neighborhood grocery stores, or rallying for affordable housing and reliable public transportation.
Community organizers bring the various sectors of the community together to solve problems—real problems that are affecting real people in real neighborhoods across America. Community organizers help communities recognize their own power by mobilizing them to stand up to “the powers that be.”
In essence, community organizers organize individuals into a stronger, more effective unit for change—similar to how a union organizes its members to provide a collective voice to demand better pay and working conditions.
Community organizers come alongside individuals to help them define what success is for them and help them acquire the resources needed to accomplish the task at hand.
Most importantly, community organizers inspire hope. Whether they’re your next door neighbor or neighbors from across town, by investing their time, energy and enthusiasm, community organizers inspire other community members—many of whom have been down trodden and disenfranchised—to believe again.
Community organizers inspire individuals to believe in themselves and to come together to create the change they want to see. It’s called self-determination. It’s the foundation of a democratic society. It's also the embodiment of the self-help, individual-responsibility doctrine so often associated with the Republican Party.
So when it comes to creating change at the grassroots level that positively impacts people’s everyday lives—that’s the kind of change community organizers help create. Good, old-fashioned, hard work and bottom-up change that’s actually worthwhile.
It’s this kind of real-life, impactful change upon which Barack Obama has built his career in public service—a deep-seated belief that individuals have within them the power to make their communities a better place if they can come together.
The irony of the Republican’s community organizer-bashing is that Senator Barack Obama’s incredible success emanates from his community organizing skills and his ability to listen to, understand, relate to, encourage and help empower others. In his amazing, historic, campaign—which is made possible by the contributions of everyday people volunteering and making multiple small donations— Barack Obama is employing community organizing 101—only multiplied by 1,000.
The community organizing experience that Giuliani and Palin belittled in Barack Obama cuts to the very core of Obama's philosophy of service, and it is the preeminent value that has produced the kind of following and enthusiasm Senator Barack Obama is experiencing.
Community organizing is service. And it is very unfortunate that a party whose theme for their convention is "Country First" and "Service" would be so blind as to not recognize service in its myriad of forms.
Twenty years ago Barack Obama helped empower a community to bring change on Chicago's Southside. In 2008, Barack Obama has brought that same courageous spirit of community to the national scene. This time, however, he’ll not only change the Southside of Chicago. This time, Obama is mobilizing individuals in communities across America, and inspiring all of America to believe that together we can change this nation, and together we can change the world.
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Anita S. Lane is a public policy advocate and former full-time community organizer in Detroit, Michigan.
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