Igniting Justice and Progressive Power

A progressive resurgence is happening across the United States. This book shows how long-lasting coalitions have built progressive power from the regional level on up. Anchored by the "think and act" affiliate organizations of the Partnership for Working Families (PWF) these regional power building projects are putting in place the vision, policy agenda, political savvy, and grassroots mobilization needed for progressive governance. Through six sections, the book explores how Partnership for Working Families projects are a core part of the defeat of the right-wing in states such as California; the challenge to corporate neoliberalism in traditionally "liberal" areas; and contests for power in such formally solid red states as Arizona, Georgia, and Colorado. This book considers how these PWF groups work on economic, racial and environmental justice challenges, equitable development, and other critical issues. It addresses how, at their core, they bring together labor, community, environmental, and faith-based organizations and the coalitions and campaigns that they developed have won and continue to win substantial victories for their communities. Igniting Justice and Progressive Power will be of interest to activists and concerned citizens looking to understand how lasting political change actually happens as well as all scholars and students of social work, urban geography, political sociology, community development, social movements and political science more broadly.

David Reynolds has a Ph.D. in Government from Cornell University. He works at the Center for Labor and Community Studies at the University of Michigan and teaches State and Local Government at Eastern Michigan University. For almost twenty years he has led a research network based in the United Association for Labor Education's Central Labor Council Working Group that documents regional and state labor movement innovations that, among other things, have produced many of the PWF affiliates. Louise Simmons is Professor of Social Work at the University of Connecticut and author or editor of several books and articles on community-labor coalitions and other economic justice issues. She is co-editor with Scott Harding of Economic Justice, Labor and Community Practice (2010, Taylor and Francis). She has a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Studies from MIT and is a long-time activist in Hartford, Connecticut, including serving on the Hartford City Council in the early 1990s.

Part 1: Setting the Stage. 1. Introducing the Regional Movement to Transform America. 2. From the Partnership for Working Families to IGNITE: Lessons and Evolution from Twenty Years of Anchoring Affiliates. 3. Why Cities Matter: Governing for The Common Good and Reclaiming Democracy. 4. Regional Power Building Today: A New New Deal Revisited. Part 2: The Founders Today. 5. LAANE Brain: Understanding the Model and Future of the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy. 6. 25 Years of Working Partnerships USA in San Jose. Part 3: From (Neo) Liberal to Progressive Cities. 7. Community Labor United: Building Bridges in Greater Boston. 8. Aligning Labor and Community Groups: The Alliance for a Greater New York. 9. Building a Bigger "We": Reflections on More than A Decade of Building Community Power in Pittsburgh. 10. Racial Justice is Economic Justice: Chicago's Grassroots Collaborative Expands Economic Fairness by Prioritizing Racial Equity. Part 4: Storming Conservative Bastions. 11. Transforming a Conservative County: The Development of the Center on Policy Initiatives. 12. OCCORD: Organizing in Conservative Territory: If you can't win the game, change the rules. 13. Georgia STAND-UP: Organizing for Progressive Power in the South. 14. Stand Up Nashville: Shaping a Narrative of Equity and Inclusion in the "IT City" Boom. 15. Central Arizonans for a Sustainable Economy (CASE) in Phoenix. Part 5: Further Adaptions and Innovations. 16. Adapting the Model for a Purple State: United for a New Economy in Metro Denver. 17. The Warehouse Workers Resource Center in Southern California. 18. Organizing in Rural Towns and Suburbs: Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy. Part 6: Conclusion. 19. Conclusion: The Challenges and Opportunities to Change Regions, States, and the Nation.