The Isabella Cannon Leadership Fellows Class of 2014 traveled to sites in Chicago and Cleveland to learn hands on about community development and community organizing as a part of the winter term class entitled Community Empowerment taught by Professor Patrick Harman.
The Fellows class began their trip in the Back of the Yards, an underprivileged community in Chicago. During this trip, the Fellows learned more in depth about community development projects working to build economic growth, foster community involvement and battle issues like high dropout rates and gang activity. To preface this trip, the Fellows were reading a book entitled Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. Alinsky worked in the development of these neighborhoods many years before. The Fellows concluded this day visiting memorials to victims in the Haymarket riots to gain a better understanding of the difficulties of creating social change. That evening concluded with an engaging discussion with Dr. John Dugan, a nationally known leadership educator at Loyola University Chicago, about myths regarding leadership development.
The trip continued in Chicago with a workshop on community organizing with Tom Lenz, an active community organizer in Chicago today. The Fellows reflected on the importance of culture and history in community building with a visit to the National Museum of Mexican Art. The Chicago site visits concluded with a visit to the Hull House and an in depth history lesson on Jane Addams and her role in social change through the settlement house movement. Following this, the fellows made the six-hour trek to Cleveland for another set of site visits.
The first full day in Cleveland focused on Evergreen Cooperatives, an organization created to foster sustainable economic growth in the Greater University Circle in Cleveland. This day consisted of a tour of neighborhoods in Cleveland overburdened with unemployment and foreclosures as well as a tour of the Evergreen Cooperative laundry and a presentation by Ted Howard, who played a large part in the development of the Evergreen Cooperatives. Throughout these tours and presentations, the fellows learned about co-operative business models and the benefits they have had on the neighborhoods in Cleveland. The following day the Fellows gained more knowledge about the Cleveland Foundation, a larger organization for which Evergreen Cooperatives is involved. Fellows listened to speakers including journalists and grant writers to learn about the various ways the Cleveland Foundation was pursuing community development concluded.
With all of the educational aspects of the trip, Fellows were also encouraged to explore their surrounding areas taking in sites like Millennium Park in Chicago and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Overall, the course allowed fellows to see community development first hand and witness the positive effects it has had on communities around the country. This experience influenced a number of the fellows and they are currently developing a cooperative in the local community.
Submitted by: Savannah Chaisson, Class of 2014