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Strategies for Community Organizing and Civic Mobilization

This workshop-style event delves into tools for positive action in community organizing for civic engagement in 2024. Accomplished activists explore tried and true strategies for fostering political participation, amplifying marginalized voices, and safeguarding fundamental freedoms. Through expert insights, we will chart a path toward a more inclusive and just society where all voices are heard and rights are protected. Join us as we build skills and strategies for unlocking the transformative power of collective action to build a more equitable and democratic future.

Jeanine Abrams McLean and Shun Tucker-Allen of Fair Count will guide participants through the use of tools and strategies that can be applied in online community organizing locally and internationally. Dr. Mary Nelson of DePaul University’s ABCD Institute will introduce participants to asset-based community development as an approach for community organizing for civic mobilization.

Participants will engage in interactive workshops focused on various strategies for civic mobilization in religious, interfaith, and other communities. Join us on Thursday, April 18th, from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm CDT as part of the FOCUS24 | Faith, Democracy & Our Common Future: Shaping a Path Forward. FOCUS24 is a year-long paid interfaith series building capacity, fostering community, and advancing advocacy efforts in this critical “year of democracy.” Join us in shaping a path forward; register today!

Already registered? Visit the FOCUS24 All-Access page to add the event to your calendar.

Featured Experts

Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is the President at Fair Count, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, founded by Stacey Abrams. The goal of Fair Count is to ensure that every person in Georgia and the nation is counted for a fair and accurate census and to build pathways to continued civic participation, including voting and redistricting. Jeanine is a highly skilled researcher with over 20 years of experience designing, managing, and implementing population-based studies and projects, and she has authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications. While at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she applied her expertise in computational biology and population research to advance public health initiatives. At Fair Count, she has led the creation of statistically-relevant census undercount maps of all 50 states with a focus on Black and Latinx communities and advocated for community-driven solutions through the pairing of scientific researchers and organizers. She is widely renowned for championing the voices of the rural South, earning her a seat on the National Advisory Committee for the Census Bureau in advance of the 2030 Census. Jeanine was recently selected for the 2023 Keseb Democracy Fellowship, which focuses on cross-country learning with democracy entrepreneurs from the United States, Brazil, and South Africa.

Dr. Mary Nelson has 50 years of faith-based community development experience using a strengths-based approach that builds on assets of people and place. Mary is president emeritus of Bethel New Life, a faith-based community development corporation. Bethel pioneered in community-based efforts to build healthier, sustainable and equitable communities on Chicago’s west side, including adaptive re-use of a closed down inner-city hospital, and a smart, green, mixed-use commercial center at a transit stop. She was interim executive director (2012-2015) of the Parliament of the World’s Religions. She is on the faculty of Asset Based Community Development Institute at DePaul University. Mary has her Ph.D. from Union Graduate School and six honorary Ph.D.s and is the author of “Empowerment”. She is currently also actively involved in the environmental justice movement on local and international scale.

Shun Tucker-Allen currently serves as the Sr. Faith Coordinator for Fair Count, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization. She is a proud native of Atlanta, Georgia. Her organizing approach is an incorporation of her faith-based strategies and experience, along with a strong passion for helping others. She is especially focused on rural and underserved communities. Shun currently resides in Decatur, Georgia, the home of her beloved alma mater Agnes Scott College, where she received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, with a minor in Religious Studies. She also holds a master’s degree in Public Safety, with a specialization in Emergency Management. In her spare time, she enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, watching historical and religious documentaries, and exploring in South Georgia.

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