Neighborhoods rule! Grassroots social activism is community at its best

1:30 - 2:45 p.m., Thursday, September 27, 2018
PSU 313

As our nation faces political polarization, distrust of the media and critical social issues, Americans can be overwhelmed by the enormous scale of these problems. Addressing issues on a smaller, local level can make the change process more personal and more manageable. Neighborhoods can be the seed bed for social change. Former President Barack Obama, in his farewell address, offered words of encouragement, "It was in neighborhoods not far from here where I began working with church groups in the shadows of closed steel mills. It was on these streets where I witnessed the power of faith and the quiet dignity of working people in the face of struggle and loss. This is where I learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved, get engaged and come together to demand it." Community is the answer to what ails society. 

Presenters