Building coalitions that work for everyone

Current statistics:

• “Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap.” This report summarizes the findings of a 2019 nation-wide survey of thousands of nonprofit employees. The authors argue that recent discourse about diversity and inclusion is not reflected in the nonprofit sector at large, and offers suggestions for combating the entrenched white privilege that pervades nonprofit leadership to this day.

• “The Nonprofit Sector in Brief 2019.” The National Center for Charitable Statistics collects data on nonprofits across the U.S.

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About allyship:

• "Empowering Relations: An Indigenous Understanding of Allyship in North America." This journal article critiques allies and allyship from the perspective of Indigenous people in North America, specifically drawing from the #NODAPL movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Andrea Sullivan-Clarke explains the problems with allyship and allies that misconstrue or misunderstand their relation to the marginalized group, and offers suggestions for how to be a decolonial ally.

• Carlson, Juliana, Cliff Leek, Erin Casey, Rich Tolman, and Christopher Allen. 2020. “What’s in a Name? A Synthesis of ‘Allyship’ Elements from Academic and Activist Literature.” Journal of Family Violence 35 (8): 889–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-019-00073-z.

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History of coalitions:

• Brecher, Jeremy, and Tim Costello. Building Bridges: The Emerging Grassroots Coalition of Labor and Community. (New York City: Monthly Review Press, 1990). This book examines various community organizations and coalitions in the larger context of the labor rights movement, arguing that the effectiveness of labor coalitions against corporate elites lies in the ability to bridge divides between groups of laborers. Most of the evidence is through case-studies, which provide historical context of coalitions’ successes and shortcomings, and analysis of grassroots alliances as democratic tools.

• Minkler, Meredith. Community Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare. (Ithaca, NY: Rutgers University Press, 2012). This book provides an overview of frameworks and strategies for community organizing, reflecting on ethical issues, different approaches to coalition building, and the critical role of self-reflection. Sections are written by different experts in their fields—lawyers, social workers, historians, politicians—to outline the “systems level” view of community coalition building.

• Stoper, Emily. “The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee: Rise and Fall of a Redemptive Organization.” Journal of Black Studies. Vol 8, No 1 (1977): 13-34.

• Petty, Pamela. “Non-Positional Leadership: The Case of Ella Baker and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.” ProQuest. 1996.

• “Learn From the Past, Organize for the Future, Make Democracy Work.” The SNCC Digital Gateway was organized by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University. The website features a comprehensive history of SNCC, its impacts now, and primary source documents.

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Improving equity:

• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. “Authentic Community Engagement to Advance Equity.” Accessed April 3, 2021.

• Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment. “Checking Assumptions to Advance Equity.” Accessed April 3, 2021.

• Keleher, Terry. “Racial Equity Impact Assessment.” Compiled for Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation, Applied Research Center. 2009.

• Teitsworth, Emily. “Practical Ideas for Improving Equity and Inclusion at Nonprofits.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. 2018. Accessed April 3, 2021.

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Cultural competence:

• Community Tool Box. “Building Culturally Competent Organizations.” Accessed May 2, 2021.

• National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, and Georgetown University Medical Center. “Bridging the Cultural Divide in Health Care Settings: The Essential Role of Cultural Broker Programs.” 2004. Accessed April 23, 2021. This report defines and advocates for the use of cultural brokers in health care equity programs. Cultural brokers provide a link between existing institutions and the culturally diverse community members they serve, and the report provides evidence from health care success stories.

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Coalition leadership guides:

• Brown, Cherie R., and American Jewish Committee. The Art of Coalition Building: A Guide for Community Leaders. (New York, N.Y.: American Jewish Committee, 1984). This book was one of the earliest sources I found that defined coalition building and argued for its use in community leadership.

• Mizrahi, T., and B. B. Rosenthal. “Complexities of Coalition Building: Leaders’ Successes, Strategies, Struggles, and Solutions.” Social Work. Vol 46, No 1. (2001): 63–78. This study looked at 40 social change coalitions and 70 coalition organizers to examine effective leadership of these coalitions. Through interviews and data analysis, this paper summarizes successful coalitions and how aspects of leadership contribute to their success.

• Minkler, Meredith. Community Organizing and Community Building for Health and Welfare. (Ithaca, NY: Rutgers University Press, 2012).