Community Organizer

Community organizing is service work done in order to mobilize people for a common goal. These goals may be charitable (youth centers, food drives), political (voter registration), social (civil rights) and/or religious (boycotts aimed at certain media outlets). The subject of community organizing became an issue in the 2008 presidential election, with regard to Barack Obama's work in church-based community organizing in the 1980s.

Fast Facts

1. Famous community organizers: Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, Saul Alinsky, Barack Obama
2. Obama worked as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, 1985-1988
3. Community organizing groups range from right wing (Christian Coalition) to left (ACORN)

In the 2008 Election

Barack Obama's organizing work from 1985 to 1988 included pushing for inner city playgrounds and employment services.¹ In the 2008 presidential election, his years as a community organizer were touted by Democrats and belittled by Republicans.² In her speech at the Republican Convention, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin said, "a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities."³

Related Pages on Mahalo

Barack Obama | Sarah Palin | 2008 Republican Convention | Christian Coalition | Obama Community Organizer | Obama ACORN | ACORN