Elizabeth Addo ‘24
Today’s journey highlighted the multidimensional nature of community organization, painting a vivid image of varied ways to work towards social change. It revealed to me the complex connections between different facets of community organizing, how they connect, and more importantly how they do not communicate. This created different pockets of community work that rarely knew what the other was doing and could not necessarily collaborate on planning to help different communities.
The day commenced at the intersection of policy and activism —the Baltimore Food Policy office—where, at precisely 10:30 AM, we encountered a dynamic group of five women deeply engaged in combating food insecurity through thoughtful policy advocacy. These women were policymakers who wanted to aid in local engagement through funded support for initiatives to combat food insecurities. Their knowledge of the Black Church Food Security Network and Reverend Brown’s community organizing was exciting to hear because this meant that two groups tackling the same problem knew and potentially worked with each other. Amidst the blooming and powerful partnerships, a cloud of disconnect loomed. Many of the community organizers do not know that there were policy advocates. In talking to the five women there was clear passion and understanding for food insecurity taking place in their communities and certain attempts to combat this. This work and the passion for which they attack their work were likely not brought to the awareness of community organizers.
For the latter part of the day we worked on food produce at a local food bank in an ice freezer.
The day created a great opportunity for us to witness a more tangible manifestation of community support. Working on cold produce allowed me to not only understand the work required for combatting food insecurity from the policy side of things.
Today’s experiences underscored the complexity and diversity of community organization efforts, highlighting both the power of collaboration and the challenges of bridging disparate segments within the community. It was a vivid demonstration of the multi-faceted approach required to address societal issues. As the day drew to a close, it left us with much to ponder about the future of community organizing, the potential for greater synergy between various stakeholders, and the impact such unity could have on the broader mission of creating a more inclusive, supportive, and empowered community.