MORE² Faith Based Social Justice Power Organization in

Kansas City Missouri/Kansas:

Organizational Progress

2002 The Kauffman Foundation and the Gamaliel Foundation partnered to explore the creation of a faith based bi State regional organization for racial and economic equity

2003-2004 An Exploratory Committee of Clergy organized leadership training for 150 participants; and a Spanish speaking training for 28 immigrants ;Convened a Summit on Racial and Metropolitan Dynamics with professor john powell of the Kirwan Institute of Race and Ethnicity involving 300 participants

In September 2004, 12 congregations entered into covenant to lead the Metro Organization for Racial & Economic Equity (MORE²) as a new, regional, equity organization.  Membership is designed to be institutional, not individual.  As covenanting organizations, congregations are stakeholders and decision-makers within the organization.  They select talented and committed congregational leaders to represent them.  Organizational membership will allow MORE² to grow in strength and impact year after year, building upon relationships within congregations nd denominations.  Currently there are 13 congregational members.

2005  In January 2005 MORE² introduced a Listening Campaign, which trained 450 pastors and laypeople to conduct one-on-one conversations with church and community members.  By April, 2,500 interviewees had identified public policy issues pertinent to their congregations; new leaders also surfaced for MORE².

In May 375 participants attended an Issues Assembly.  They debated and voted on three priorities for initial action by MORE² during its next two years:

• Education      Living wage jobs      Youth in poverty
• Transit/Access to Opportunity (added in December)

Building upon the Listening Campaign’s initial success, during the summer task force leaders met with government, business, and academic leaders and community groups to understand power relationships in Kansas City.

In October 800 people met with major public officials; media coverage was extensive.  MORE² leaders presented a cogent analysis of regional problems, which focused on obstacles facing women and minorities in participating in Kansas City’s downtown development.  The Jericho Table was proposed as MORE²’s first organizing effort, which is establishing MORE² as a key player in organizing citizens to create public policy solutions to key problems in the Kansas City region.  A follow-up Accountability Meeting was held in December with public officials and business leaders.

2006 Throughout the year MORE² continued to hold all parties publicly accountable for their commitments to the Jericho Table.  In June a Banquet was held with 556 participants and $30,000 was raised and more public commitments were made. In June the Missouri Smart Moves Transit enabling legislation was signed into law.

State of the Organization

MORE2 has made amazing strides in the past year and particularly recent months:

• MORE2 is now in the public arena-the vision is becoming reality
• Participation continues to grow-850 people participated in the Oct  ’05 public meeting and 556 attended the June ,06 Banquet with Congressman Cleaver
• MORE2 is now a recognized player, by government and business leaders, a force to be reckoned with-influential….powerful…There is respect
• The base of leadership continues to grow numerically-and there is a new level of sophistication on the part of leaders (clergy and lay)-dealing with other public powers
• Leadership are also gaining tremendous sophistication about overcoming barriers to bring about racial and gender equity in the construction industry
• MORE2 Jericho Table did not exist until one year ago.  Now, it is a very powerful gathering of some of the most influential players in the construction industry and in the hiring of women and minority contractors and workers.  These players have firmly committed to the Pillars of the Jericho Table-and committed to tear down the barriers which stand in the way of access to opportunity.  They will continue to be held accountable.

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Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity

 Organizer Job Description

Qualities. 

He/she must demonstrate the ability to:

1)         Act on his/her own passion to build power in order to affect change

2)         Motivate and agitate others to develop as leaders and to act

3)         Build relationships in the public arena systematically and strategically.

4)         Discover and articulate self-interest in potential leaders from member institutions.

5)         Cut issues, strategize and move groups of people into action on issues

6)         Reflect in a disciplined way on his/her development as an organizer

7)         Accept training and mentoring from senior organizers and supervisors

8)         Act for racial justice

Responsibilities

He/she must work with the Territory Director/supervisor and leadership to:

1)         Create an overall organizing plan to build the organization and impact issues

2)         Build working relationships with all clergy and key leaders of the organization

3)         Conduct 5-10 1-on-1s per week to: surface, recruit, agitate, develop leaders

4)         Raise sufficient funds to stabilize and expand the organization

5)         Recruit new member congregations

6)         Organize actions and public meetings to win concrete victories on issues

7)         Work toward racial justice

8)         Send 15-20 per year to national weeklong training

9)         Build local core teams in each congregation

10)       Submit weekly reports and be accountable to Territory Director

11)       Strengthen the effectiveness of each of the organizational tables

Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity Tables:

·        Jericho Table (Workforce Development)

·        Access to Opportunity Task Force (Transit)

·        Education Task Force

·        Clergy Caucus

·        Board of Directors

·        Executive Committee

·        Finance Committee

·        Training Committee

·        Faith in Democracy Working Group

·        Banquet Committee

·        Individual Donor Campaign Committee

Standards

See Readings for Gamaliel Organizers

See general standards for organizers

(Above duties are not necessarily all inclusive.)