COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN OAK PARK: COMPETING AGENDAS ...

for future meetings. We knew the Latino population would be hard to reach because
many Latinos in the community did not participate in the “progressive” community
culture of Oak Park. Many Latinos stayed away from political activism in the
community because of fears of deportation or because they simply did not understand the
issues that were taking place in their community. They did not have the same perspective
of the community as did middle-class residents. Many Latino residents sought support
from their family members, instead of through community organizations. Further, we
realized organizing meetings on a monthly basis took plenty of time, resources, and
political support. We decided to instead keep attending Neighborhood Association
meetings and participating in projects we thought would truly help the neediest residents.
In hindsight, the outcome of our meeting gave us insight into the dynamics of
conducting community meetings at the grass-roots level. Beyond our own expectations
of time, money, and resources, getting community residents to attend meetings was
challenging. Those who do attend community meetings do so for many reasons. Our
inability to get community members to attend, especially Spanish-speaking Latinos, led
us to rethink our perspectives and strategies about how to facilitate community change.
Labor Organizing in the Neighborhood
In Oak Park, a Labor Association participated in efforts to improve the quality of
life for the poor in a different way than the Neighborhood Association and the Women’s
Group. The Labor Association office in Oak Park, was part of a nationwide Labor
Association and the mission of the labor association was to “Organize Sacramento’s
service workers and other low-income workers, as one step toward eradicating poverty.”
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