Urban African American Community Development in the Progressive Era

A Socio-Historical Overview of Black Youth Development in the United States for Leisure Studies

“…Further, the space may have allowed youth to reflect on shared experiences of oppression and develop a collective identity organized around oppositional consciousness (Hounmenou 2012). O'Donnell (1996) commented that settlement house and mission workers Bbelieved that, in helping the less fortunate, the entire race would be tangiblysocially and economically-elevated^(p. 17). Community development and youth development were therefore intimately linked in the effort to create a brighter future with all African Americans.…”

A Critique of Rothman's and Other Standard Community Organizing Models: Toward Developing a Culturally Proficient Community Organizing Framework

“…African American scholars, seeking to incorporate African American cultural perspectives into the community practice knowledge base, have uncovered several African American culture specific approaches to community organizing. Carlton-LaNey (1995), Burwell (1995), O'Donnell (1996), O'Donnell and Karanja 2000, and Young Laing (2003, 2009 offer models based on the perspective of African American community organizers working in predominately with African American distressed communities.…”

Emerging Ethnic Agencies

“…Access to funding for ethnic agencies may be particularly difficult if ethnic community members have low incomes and most outside funders do not consider building cultural communities as important (Fisher & Fabricant, 2002). As noted by O'Donnell (1995), "Even relatively modest efforts relying heavily on volunteerism require philanthropic or public support to sustain their efforts" (p. 20). It also is important to consider that if different ethnic groups have unique management styles (Daly, 1994) related to their cultures or experiences, then the administrative, management, and capacity-building needs of ethnic agencies may differ from those of nonethnic organizations.…”

“…Communities of color have a long history of developing self-help organizations and enterprises to meet needs that arise due to their specific cultures, their experiences in adapting to U.S. society, and experiences with racism (Gutiérrez & Lewis, 1994;Iglehart & Becerra, 1995;Jackson-White, Dozier, Oliver, & Gardner, 1997;Jenkins, 1988;O'Donnell, 1995). Central to these efforts have been community-building activities.…”