A Brief Glimpse of Obama’s Past as Community Organizer

A panel discussed a brief history of community organizing as well as Senator Barack Obama’s history as an organizer at the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal Center. Though Obama was mentioned, the panel discussion was mostly about what community leaders do to shape their neighborhoods and build grassroots movements.

There are two types of community leaders: organizers and mobilizers, said Harry Boyte of the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute. Mobilizers, he said, define an enemy of the community and create an us vs. them mentality which shuts down the critical thought process. Organizers seek to rebuild the civic culture and landscape in a community, and are not chiefly about seeking power or combating an enemy. Mobilizers are more militant and combative than organizers, said Stanley Kurtz of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Kurtz and Boyte dissagreed on whether Obama was more of a mobilizer or an organizer. Both said that Obama encourged his followers not to be confrontational and use inside politics when trying to get money and legislation passed in favor of their community. But Kurtz also pointed out that Obama trained and supported leaders of ACORN, the Association of Community Organization for Reform Now, which often reverted to militant and radical tactics when trying to get bank loans for their community. Every panelist agreed that if Obama was elected president, community organization and leadership would become more prominent in America. “I can tell you if we see an Obama presidency we can see an enormous expansion of…civic re-vegetation,” said Boyte.