Category Archives: Urban Education

Organizing and Education

In regards to social change for oppressed communities, this means that organizers must get community members to understand how they are individually affected by a problem. When doing so, this, in a way that is a bit selfish, grabs community members attention and makes them more willing to participate in a movement since they know they are personally being effected. Fortunately, because there are so many people that are potentially being affected, community members are willing to fight for a cause and fight exceptionally hard since they know it would benefit them, individually. This results in a strong social movement.. This is the reason why organizers must be able to recognize that individuals are the most important part of a social movement. The movement and the social change can only become as powerful as the people who partake in it. In order for the movement to be powerful and for change to take place, people must see the value in themselves and recognize their own injustice. This self importance will make them more willing to come together and to fight to better themselves and create social change since they all want better for themselves. The more individuals they can make feel affected, the larger the social movement becomes. Baker believed in creating new educational methods of social organizing for the new generation. She wanted the new generation of organizers to figure out new ways to make change. If the new generation of organizers only followed the techniques of their predecessors, they would be stunt the movements growth. Social movements must evolve in order to be successful because the issues they are combatting evolve too. It is important to include all people because the more people feel involved in the movement, the more they would feel connected which would allow the movement to have more people who are dedicated in numbers. This would increase the size of the movement and most likely lead to the expansion and success of the movement. A single leader can’t make or be a movement. A leader can be distracting because people will become too invested in a person, rather than what the person is fighting for. He wants those who are experiencing the oppression to be the face of the movement in order to maintain the movement’s authenticity. Again, there is a need to prioritize and include the individuals that make up the movement because they are what makes up the numbers and gets the movement to expand. It takes their dedication to the cause to keep them movement moving forward. One or two men can’t do the work all of the people in the movement can. It is important to note that there is a difference between an educator and an organizer. This is important to note because the two have different agendas. Educators are the ones who really instill in people that they as individuals matter and need to take a stance, which allows a movement to have the sense of unity it has. An organizer is a person who sets all of the moves together and allows everyone to recognize that they need to do something to change their situation.