[Excerpts]

Door after door, the response was the same: “Why would I vote? It’s not going to change anything.” Even in Grand Rapids, one of the key swing counties of the 2024 election, people felt despondent—powerless. But three months later, those neighbors had organized with hundreds of others in the city to win $20 million for their community—and that sense of powerlessness was changing...

The community members in Grand Rapids didn’t do it with a 30-second sales pitch to garner votes for election day. Instead, they simply asked: “What are the pressures facing your family?”...

Canvassers were trained not to offer solutions but to issue a challenge: “What do you want to do about that?” Neighbors who expressed an interest in taking action were invited to begin organizing with others who had similar concerns.

The organization behind this was Together West Michigan (TWM), a coalition of faith communities, schools, and neighborhood groups and an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation (the oldest and largest community organizing network in the U.S.). Their goal was to put the needs of everyday people at the center of the coming elections.

In this process, leaders discovered plans for a major development in the heart of downtown: a request for $565 million in taxpayer subsidies to build luxury condominiums, a hotel, and an office building. For residents, it was more of the same—gilding the lily while people fighting to keep their homes and streets safe were patted on the head and told it would all trickle down. One leader called the proposal “ a slap in the face. ”

Jumping into action, veteran TWM leaders worked with neighbors to meet with City Commissioners who would be voting on the deal. Residents made clear that, while they did not oppose development, they did oppose a deal that took half a billion dollars in taxpayer money in exchange for minuscule investments in affordable housing and a token promise to “improve the downtown”.

When the developers refused to budge, Together West Michigan turned up the heat. 140 of its leaders held a press conference in front of City Hall, calling for a “public benefit that matches the public’s investment,” before packing the Commission Chambers to deliver testimony.

A month later, after tough negotiations, their work paid off. In front of another packed audience, the City Commission approved an amended proposal that required developers to invest an additional $20 million in local women and minority-owned businesses in exchange for the public subsidy.

But that wasn’t the only victory. In an election year where voter turnout dropped drastically across Michigan, in the precincts where TWM organized, turnout decline was drastically slowed. People voted when they saw the impact on their own lives.

....

Today, in living rooms, church basements, union halls, and schools across the country, thousands of Americans carry on this legacy. They meet to identify shared concerns, organize, and take action. Their work has led to billions of dollars in public investment and corporate accountability that has transformed communities.

It’s time we brush aside the failed conviction that our problems will be solved by electing better leaders and instead recommit to investing in citizens. It’s time to return to the foundation of local organizing that networks like the IAF have pioneered and get back to the day-to-day work of developing citizens well versed in the habits of a democratic culture.

[Photo Credit: Getty Images, Mindful Media]

The Power of Community Organization in Calling for Local Investments, Fulcrum [pdf]