Obama Advisor Discusses Community Organizing

President Obama’s historic election as the first African-American President of the United States sent the message that the ways to effect political change in America are evolving.

 

One of President Obama’s advisors visited Siena last week to discuss strategies the Obama camp used to engage citizens in during the 2008 presidential campaign.

 

Brandeis University Sociology and Public Policy Professor and Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University visiting fellow, Carmen Sirianni, Ph.D. delivered his speech, “Democracy in the Age of Obama: Possibilities and Pitfalls,” during the College’s second annual Engaged Sociologist Symposium on October 28^th.

 

Sirianni chaired the Collaborative Governance Cluster within the Obama ’08 Urban Policy Committee and during his speech in the Key Auditorium, Sirianni talked about many methods Obama supporters used to encourage civic engagement in all corners of the country. They included community organizing based on shared values, establishing field organizers and neighborhood teams to develop strategies for specific locations, and capitalizing on the surge in popularity of Websites such as Youtube and Facebook.

 

Sirianni also spoke about transparency in government. He continues to work on ways to help the White House’s open government initiative by analyzing ways to build on collaborative policy designs and methods of changing the culture within federal agencies.

 

“Dr. Sirianni’s visit to Siena echoes our Franciscan commitment to ‘building a world that is more just, peaceable, and humane.’ Dr. Sirianni’s career as both an academic and civic contributor exemplifies the integration of service and academics at the core of a Siena education,” said Siena sociology and environmental studies professor, Mathew Johnson ’93, Ph.D.

 

Johnson added that Sirianni’s experience as an advisor to two presidential administrations, including Obama and Clinton, and his service to all levels of government provide a unique perspective on the importance of engaging civically through scholarship and other forms of academic work.