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GUIDELINES: FORMING URBAN COALITIONS NATIONWIDE
On August 24, 1967, in Washington, D. C., the Emergency
Convocation of The Urban Coalition issued an urgent appeal
to all concerned American citizens to join with The Coalition
in efforts to fashion a new political, social, economic, and
moral climate that will make possible the breaking of the
vicious cycle of the ghetto. Action at the community level
must now follow.
Community leadership is now called upon to use its commitment
and ingenuity to muster the public support and involvement
needed to bring about a major reordering of both national and
local priorities in the face of the unresolved urban emergency.
At the conclusion of the August Emergency Convocation, The
Urban Coalition adopted a comprehensive Statement of Princi-
ples, Goals and Commitments. It is this document which charts
the course for our mutual efforts. The Urban Coalition's
program as adopted at the August Convocation may be charac-
terized as follows:
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"We believe the American people and the Congress
must reorder national priorities, with a commitment
of resources equal to the magnitude of the problems
we face. The crisis requires a new dimension of
effort in both the public and private sectors,
working together to provide jobs, housing, education,
and the other needs of our cities.
"We believe the Congress must move without delay
en urban programs. The country can wait no longer
for measures that have too long been denied the
people of the cities and the nation as a whole--
additional civil rights legislation, adequately
funded model cities, anti-poverty, housing, educa-
tion, and job-training programs, and a host of
others.
"We believe the private sector of America must
directly and vigorously involve itself in the
crisis of the cities by a commitment to investment,
job-training, and hiring, and all that is necessary
to the full enjoyment of the free enterprise
system--and also to its survival...
"This convocation calls upon local government,
business, labor, religions, and civil rights groups
to create counterpart local coalitions where they
do not exist to support and supplement this declara-
tion of principles."
The National Steering Committee at the present time consists
of thirty-six members. They are broadly representative of
business, labor, local government, religion, civil rights,
communications, and education.
The Coalition identified seven specific areas of urban affairs
calling for action by The Coalition and the Nation. Emergency
Task Forces have been created reflecting these problem areas:
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Public Service Employment and Urban Legislation
Private Employment and Entrepreneurship
Educational Disparities
Housing, Reconstruction and Investment
Equal Housing Opportunities
Communications and Public Support
Local Coalitions
The National Steering Committee and its seven Task Forces are
already at work developing strategy and fostering action to
achieve the goals set forth in The Coalition's Statement of
Principles, Goals and Commitments. This will not be enough.
There must be complementary action at the local community
level where ultimate responsibility rests and where urban
problems are most clearly perceived.
November 1, 1967
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What is a Coalition?
A "coalition" is an alliance, association or combination of
persons, groups, organizations or constituencies drawn to-
gether for one or more specific purposes. A coalition is not
necessarily a formally chartered, regulated and structured
organization. Typically, coalitions emerge in time of crisis
or emergency and endure for the period of that emergency.
Development of a coalition which will include all civic
interests is, therefore, most appropriate in the face of
America's present urban crisis.
Local Circumstances
Local circumstances and the status of existing local organi-
zations, of course, vary greatly from community to community.
The Urban Coalition recognizes that the nature of the organ-
ized response to its call for local counterpart action will
also vary from community to community. A local coalition
can encompass a single city or an entire metropolitan area
in which it is located, whichever is feasible and appropriate.
The organization of an urban coalition may take several forms.
It may involve individuals or organizations. It may embrace
a large membership or be an organization centered on leader-
ship.
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New Coalitions
In those local situations where citizens determine that it is
appropriate to form an essentially new coalition of community
leadership, the immediate need is to assemble an organizing
or steering committee. As is the case with the National
Steering Committee, local steering committees will typicaily
be made up of representatives from the community's business,
organized labor, religious, civil rights, educational, local
government and communications leadership. In order to insure,
however, that the local steering committee is broadly repre-
sentative of the life of the community, it is important that
low-income neighborhoods of the community also be represented.
It is the local steering committee which would serve as the
initial link with the national Coalition.
Coordination of Existing Groups
In other communities, it may be that coalitions broadly
representative of the life of the community have previously
been formed around such single issues as jobs, schools, or
housing. A local coalition in these communities may, under
these circumstances, be an association of such existing
single-purpose groups which should jointly establish a
coordinating committee to serve as a local coalition with a
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multi-purpose, comprehensive concern. Through this mechanism,
mutual agreement on goals, policy positions, and local needs
could be developed. Equally important, a joint coordinating
(steering) committee could also facilitate a complementary
network of program efforts carried out through its member
organizations. The full weight of community leadership
could, thereby, be brought to bear on local problems without
causing any existing individual organizations to surrender
their identities or their program control. The coordinating
(steering) committee would serve as the initial local link
with the national Coalition.
Incorporation Not Necessary
In either kind of community situation, formal incorporation
of a new local coalition or of an association of existing
single-purpose groups is not necessary, although in some
cases it may be desirable. The national Urban Coalition has
chosen not to incorporate. In the case of unincorporated
local coalitions, funds for technical support may be
channeled through a separate fiscal agent, such as a coopera-
ting organization.
Statement of Principles
The steering or coordinating committee in either kind of
community situation should consider developing a draft State-
ment of Principles, Goals and Commitments, which (a) endorses
the national Statement and (b) broadens and supplements it
to include major local cricesne’, This approach will chart
the course for local efforts in cooperation with the national
Urban Coalition. Such a local statement, when formalized,
will also serve to inform local citizens and focus their
discussion and action.
Operating Structure
With respect to newly-formed local coalitions, it is
anticipated that the local structure will include not only a
steering committee but task forces to deal, respectively,
with national urban legislation, expansion of private employ-
ment, housing and education, and public support. The task
force subjects suggested above are, of course, by no means
the only problem areas for which task forces could be created.
Task forces in the named problem areas would correspond with
and could relate to the task forces working at the national
level.
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In the case of an association of existing single-purpose
organizations, the coordinating (steering) committee could
look to its respective member organizations to serve the task
force roles and treat those problem areas closest to their
respective program concerns and organizational focus. This
is in lieu of appointing new task forces as is recommended
for an entirely new coalition. Each participating single-
purpose organization could relate functionally to the
national task force working in its subject area of concern,
e.g. a local community-wide employment committee could work
cooperatively with the national Task Force on Private Employ~
ment and Entrepreneurship.
Assistance for Local Coalitions
It is strongly recommended that where a new coalition or a
new association of existing single-purpose organizations is
being formed, the local steering or coordinating com-
mittee arrange for at least one staff person to work full
time for the new coalition venture. It is likely that this
staff person could be borrowed from the staff of one of the
participating groups of the coalition. While the National
Steering Committee is not able to offer any financial assis-
tance to local coalitions, it will provide other assistance
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in preparing and convening local coalition activities. The
National Steering Committee will also provide speakers,
where needed and requested, in any or all of the subject
areas under consideration by The Urban Coalition Task Forces
mentioned earlier.
The national task forces and the national coordinating staff
are prepared to share with cooperating community leadership
the results derived from their continuing surveys of avail-
able resources and evaluation of current programs dealing
with urban problems. For example, local coalitions can be
kept advised of the status, merits and relevance of pending
national legislation pertaining to critical urban problems.
Up to date information on the experience gained with new
recruiting, training and employment activities or low-income
housing development in the private sector can also he ex-
changed through the national task forces.
Affiliation with The Urban Coalition
The expectation of the National Steering Committee is that
local coalitions will, when ready, seek affiliation with the
national Urban Coalition. To be eligible for affiliation, a
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local group:
One: Must endorse The Urban Coalition's Statement of
Principles, Goals and Commitments.
In the absence of common agreement between the local coali-
tion and The Urban Coalition on the basic need for action on
urban problems and the broad character of the action needed,
affiliation would have little meaning. The Statement con-
stitutes the agreement. Insofar as it is the product of
the Emergency Convocation of The Urban Coalition and, there-
fore, received the endorsement of over twelve hundred
leaders from across the nation, it should not be difficult
for like-minded local leaders to support it.
Two: Must be a multi-purpose comprehensively committed
group.
By way of example, while a broad-based local organization
devoted to promoting equal housing opportunity may, in
effect, be a local leadership coalition, because of its
single purpose it would not meet this standard. The purpose
of the standard is to encourage local action on all major
urban problems and a single-purpose organization such as a
fair housing coalition is not organized or prepared to ac-
complish that end.
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Three: Must be broadly representative of the life of the
local community.
The ultimate significance and effectiveness of a local
coalition's efforts will be dependent on the extent to which
all significant sectors of the community participate in and
support the local coalition. A coalition comprised exclu-
sively of businessmen and labor leaders would not be in a
position to accomplish nearly as much as a coalition involving,
in addition, leaders from religion, local government, civil
rights, education, communications and disadvantaged neighbor-
hoods. This standard is a means of encouraging the degree of
community involvement essential to major local accomplishments.
The Council of Urban Coalitions
The Urban Coalition is interested in continuing participation
in its affairs by local communities and not just endorsement
of its goals and commitments. The formation of a Council of
Urban Coalitions is anticipated shortly after the beginning
of 1968. Each affiliated local coalition should plan to
designate two representatives to serve on this national
Council. At its first meeting, the Council will elect two
representatives to serve on the National Steering Committee
of The Urban Coalition. Additional representatives may
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be added as the Council expands. In this manner, affiliated
local coalitions will participate in and help shape the
programs of The Urban Coalition. The Council will serve as
a community-based national body working with the National
Steering Committee.
Working Approaches
With any new effort, such as that being undertaken by The
Urban Coalition, it may be expected that national organiza-
tional structure and methods will continue to undergo change.
For this reason, The Urban Coalition is understandably
following a flexible course of action. Among the working
approaches currently being taken are the following:
1. A_supporting rather than operational emphasis:
The Urban Coalition is supporting efforts to solve
ongoing problems at both the local and national
levels. It will stimulate new undertakings, for example,
in the crucial area of expanding private employment of the
hard-core unemployed, giving emphasis to effective training
approaches, recruitment practices and facilitating assimil-
ation of new employees into regular work forces. It is
working copperatively with such major new efforts as the $1
billion investment allocation of the insurance industry for
center city development.
The Urban Coalition's posture is that of a catalytic agent
stimulating public discussion, communicating the need for
national and local action, and supporting appropriate on-
going efforts. It is unlikely that it will, itself, initiate
and administer programs, on a continuing basis as this would
tend to detract from the central and critical catalytic role.
Given the multitude of existing national and local, public
and private organizations capable of program implementation,
that role, in most instances, is best left to them.
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2. Stimulating interest in successful examples of
Through its task forces, The Urban Coalition is
attempting identify, work with, and publicize
successful efforts to expand employment, extend lower income
housing and equal housing opportunities, new educational
programs and the like. The task forces hope to serve as
catalysts and convenors. They will further serve a clearing-
house function with respect to news of local action.
3. Coordinating a national legislative campaign. The
Urban Coalition has called upon Congress for action
across a broad front to meet the urban crisis.
Interpreting and emphasizing the need for national action is
as much a local obligation as it is a commitment of the
National Steering Committee. Discussions with members of
Congress is as much a hometown affair as are appearances
before Congressional committees.
4. Working with the mass media. Through its Task Force
on Communications and Public Support and through
counterpart committees at the local level, itis
hoped that the mass media can be encouraged to focus greater
attention on the needs of cities. Broad public understanding
of the need for greater resources, of the complexities of the
problems involved and the need for urgent action are es-
sential, if the goals of The Urban Coalition are to be
achieved.
(Reprint Statement of Principles,
Goals and Commitments)