Bridging Divides in Our Community
Lynn Davis, director of the Rabbi Joseph H. Gumbiner Community Action Project, was in San Antonio recently, attending a symposium of Industrial Areas Foundations (IAF) organizations from the West/Southwest region. She was there at the invitation of Pima County Interfaith, the Tucson-area IAF affiliate, of which Tucson Jewish Museum & Holocaust Center is a member.
Founded in 1940 by community activist and political theorist Saul Alinsky, the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) is the nation's largest and longest-standing network of local faith and community-based organizations. Using a broad-based organizing model, the IAF partners with local religious congregations and civic organizations to create new capacity for leadership development and citizen-led action. By bridging the lines that often divide our communities, IAF institutions build opportunities for constructive social and economic change. For the past 35 years, Pima County Interfaith (PCI) has worked to advance issues such as Medicaid expansion, public education funding, and affordable housing for Tucson-area families, as well as voter education and mobilization efforts.
In San Antonio, more than thirty organizations, from Louisiana to California, came together to help the oldest coalition in the network, COPS/Metro, launch its 50th Anniversary Jubilee. The convening included an in-depth exploration of IAF history, habits, and practices, as well as a tour of several of the local infrastructure projects that COPS/Metro had championed over the years. The weekend concluded with an “action” at St. Mary’s University Greehey Arena, where over 1,100 people gathered to celebrate the Jubilee and affirm their intentions for the coming year.
Locally, PCI will be celebrating 35 years of training leaders, building relationships, and working to create a more just and equitable Pima County. If you are interested in learning more about empowering people to advocate for themselves and their families, please contact Monique Vasquez, Senior Organizer, at monique@pimacountyinterfaith.org.
To learn more about Pima County Interfaith: https://www.pimacountyinterfaith.org/about
To learn more about the Industrial Areas Foundation: https://www.swiaf.org/
To read more about COPS/Metro: https://www.copsmetro.com/history