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“A RESPONSE FROM CIVIL SOCIETY”
George Hegel proposed that the truth is found neither in the thesis nor antithesis but in an emergent synthesis which reconciles the two. This higher truth also reconciles the dichotomy of a man of both steel and velvet who at times can be quite stern but as resiliently needed, also be sensitive to the needs of others. I can embrace my enemy in love yet I can still abhor his aberrant societal behavior that seeks to tear asunder the bonds of the human pact.
Becoming a man or woman of steel and velvet prepares one to face the headlines of today that are replete with a buffet of issues ranging from the subprime debacle that has resulted in mass foreclosures to record unemployment exacerbated by the foregoing, and through it all we have come face to face with the demon in the abyss that lets us know that no one is coming to save us but us! What is the character of civic engagement in a democratic society and what is the common currency that compels us to buy into this debate. Robert Putnam depicts the reliance of representative government on a healthy civil society yet the inability of government to address fundamental social problems continues to gnaw at the heels of our consciences and there has to be a response from civil society and that response must address the inadequacies of the present pattern of failed responsibilities.
Community organizing, that living for the sake of others, solicits a membership base from a broad spectrum of the community that is concerned with the well-being of the community rather than a specific issue. Community organizing believes in building its leadership from the bottom up and through a prescribed methodology, transforms its citizenry into an urban taskforce for change. New skills are learned, abilities are honed and couch-potatoes become advocates. Cardinal to organizing is the belief, “Never do for others what they can do for themselves”. Rev. Eugene  Williams, www.rcno.org, former union organizer and founding editor of Organizing Magazine believes that all Americans have the right and responsibility to participate in the public policy and program decisions that affect their daily lives. He envisions that congregations/community organizations commit themselves to building broad-based, multi-issue organizations to revitalize, protect and service the communities where they live, work and worship. (We mourn the loss of Rev. Eugene Williams who passed away on March 16, 2012. The organizing community will miss him immensely). Enter NPA, www.npa-us.org.
SHOWDOWN IN OHIO-NATIONAL PEOPLE'S ACTION AND ILLINOIS PEOPLE'S ACTION
Over the last year, NPA called for actions in Chicago, New York City and Washington D.C. that turned out 30,000 people and led to negotiations with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, and U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Hilda Solis on issues of financial reform, worker rights, immigrant rights, and affordable housing. Together with allied community organizing networks, unions and local organizations we held more than 100 actions in 2010, including an action that led to the 60th vote in the Senate for financial reform, and helped pass the biggest overhaul of the financial system in 75 years.
We need a growing and united movement that is about fighting FOR a new economy that works for everyone, a democracy of the people, and racial justice. In the Battle of Big Ideas we believe in community over individualism, a fair market over free market, equality and equity over the belief that equality already exists, and a government of the people instead of limited government. Those that have been left out in the past must be lifted up in the future. (George Goehl)
Governance is not just for the government; there has to be a response from civil society and civic engagement means more effective governance from we the people. The outcome of these efforts has demonstrated that the average citizen can challenge entrenched power brokers and claim a victory. We at Metanoia are engaged.
Brochure 2008 Metanoia Centers for Innovation 1313 North Clock Street Champaign, IL., 61820-2709 Phone: (217) 607-1723 Mobile: (217) 369-5720 Toll-Free Fax: 888-823-9344 Email: Info@metanoiacenters.org "We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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