COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

more than two decades we have opposed many redevelopment
programs. We, at the same time, organized benefit programs such
as an annual Back-to-School-Campaign to supply school clothes to
low-income children in the Oak Park neighborhood, which provide
a means of survival so workers can continue to fight for living
wages. [The Low-Income Worker, October 2004]
In hindsight, from the perspective of the labor association, they did not want to
become a part of any project they believed facilitated unfavorable revitalization of the
city or gentrification of their community. They felt those projects were only being
conducted to benefit the elite and would produce more inequality and further marginalize
the poor. Revitalization projects not only threatened the quality of life for the poor, but
also themselves, as they did not participate in any coalitions, neighborhood associations,
or government sponsored programs. By only relying on donations and not receiving any
types of government grants to operate their association, they would have the freedom and
anonymity to work towards fulfilling their own agendas to improve the quality of life for
the poor. They enthusiastically argued they take part in challenging the root cause of the
economic downgrading of the community.
Conducting a Women’s Needs Assessment Study
I became a member of the Women’s Group in efforts to learn about how women
organized to create social change in Oak Park. Participating in the women’s group
enabled me to observe gender-based perspectives of community work. I met Linda, the
founder of the women’s group, at a Neighborhood Association meeting early in my
residency in the neighborhood.
Linda, the founder of a Women’s Group in Oak Park, was conducting a Women’s
Needs Assessment Study in Oak Park to learn of issues that affected women and children
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