ST EOBHCSunset 072321 - Flipbook - Page 46
identification of the preferred solution”
with the promise of “we will look to you
for advice and innovation in formulating
solutions and incorporate your advice and
recommendations into the decisions to
the maximum extent possible.”
Achieving the “collaborate” stage is commendable. Still, while CBOs (individually and collectively in
coalitions), faith groups, and civic groups within EOBHC’s sphere practiced resident power building
within their organizations, resident power did not get fully and consistently integrated into EOBHC. There
is a path forward, which began in earnest in 2019 as a result of the Power Formation Convening. The
EOBHC Transition Team called for the identification of organized groups not currently part of EOBHC’s
ecosystem. The Team also called for the strengthening of power mapping practices for campaigns and
other forms of collective action to address three spheres of power: political, economic, and cultural.
EOBHC asked its community organizing partners to share which institutional actors they are currently
confronting as a step toward assessing opportunities and gaps with respect to power building. This
power analysis, partially finished, could then be shared with groups beyond community organizing
partners with a vision toward recruiting new groups (especially direct service organizations who
have contact with large numbers of community residents) to build a shared power analysis and then
deploy a unified power building strategy. The power building strategy could then include a more
focused, intentional game plan for strengthening resident leadership.
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FOR THE LOVE OF BLACK EAST OAKLAND: EOBHC Sunset Report