Although the words neighborhood and community are used so openly, Harold DeRienzo clearly defines the two words in “Community Organizing for Power and Democracy: Lessons Learned from a Life in the Trenches.” DeRienzo states that the definition of a neighborhood is more stripped down and individualized. Each house is its own entity that has their own income outside the area. The only thing keeping the neighborhood as a group seems to be more geographical than anything. A community on the other hand, as Drienzo states, is interrelated and interdependent with power. A community shares common issues, problems and troubles, relies on each other economically, and have an established force to accomplish their common goals. Although these definitions do hit the mark for a community, one can think that it doesn’t fully encompass how a community actually works in the real world.

By looking through an experience I’ve had with a community, I can see that DeRienzo’s definition for a community rings true. A year ago, I attended a community meeting for Community District 9. This meeting was only one of their weekly meetings that usually focus on one big issue. The issue for that meeting was education. The beginning of the meeting covered an array of topics and issues that the attendees had, from the use of public space,  to the needs of the elderly. As the meeting went on, the main problem of education was introduced by a representative from the Board of Education for the district. From there information was passed down onto the community and solutions were being suggested left and right. The night ended with important dates for deadlines and protests.

Despite this instance only providing a small glimpse into how a community works, it supports DeRienzo’s three part definition. Commonality: The community came together to address any issues any individuals had along with addressing their decline in ELA and Math scores. Interdependence: It wasn’t that prominent in the meeting, but, structurally, the community does rely on each other. Collective Capacity: Whatever  general issues an attendee in the meeting had, once it was stated, it was addressed and acted as if the problem was a problem of the community itself.
Thus, through my experience it seems as if DeRienzo’s definition of a community holds true.

Discussion: Despite the fact that my experience supports DeRienzo’s definition of a community, can all communities really be defined by DeRienzo’s deifntion?