Community, whether it conjures up images of a neighborhood block party or a small town gymnasium filled to the rafters for a high school basketball game, is highly valued—and often a source of great pride—for all kinds of Americans.
To understand the role of community in our history, the example of San Francisco’s Chinatown is instructive. Already a thriving neighborhood at the time of the 1906 earthquake, Chinatown was completely destroyed along with the rest of the city. As planning for re-building commenced, the mayor decided that Chinatown should be relocated from its position at the center of the city to its outskirts. The people of Chinatown rejected the proposal, and got to work, constructing new buildings that they did not own, rebuilding homes and businesses because of the immense importance they placed on rebuilding their community.
The value of community, of pulling together to make a better life for its members, has long been understood by organizers as important for rallying support among an organization’s base. Self-reliance, for many conservatives, would doubtless call to mind images of the rugged individual. By connecting the two values—showing how empowering a community helps to empower individuals—we can connect with two deeply held American values that resonate throughout our history and across our politics.