Community Empowerment as a Non-Problem

Community empowerment has become a non-issue in the current political climate, despite continuing community problems of many kinds. A radical perspective on community organization is outlined & applied to social work as a profession. An alarming tendency in social work toward emphasis on individual & apolitical approaches & work with relatively advantaged clients is evident. It is necessary to identify & work with constituencies throughout the US, but also to do so within a radical ideological perspective. As a means to this end, a metapractice approach to community organization is outlined. W. H. Stoddard