Arizona State University

Civic Engagement, Identity, and Group Mobilization

Color of Change Organization

Amirah Ali

Identity, Service, and Democracy

5 May 2021
 Racial injustice has been a raging topic in our current day society and has had a

significant effect on people’s lives. It has pushed us further away from achieving unity within our

country and created a larger gap between groups of people. This reality has resulted in harsh

repercussions including damaged trust within society and amongst different groups. The Color of

Change Organization works to create powerful campaigns that strengthen the fight towards

challenging injustice and systems of inequality. The motive behind this organization is

empowered through civic engagement and mobilization which ultimately play a role in building

communities and contribute to creating a clear identity.

One of the most important ways we develop as a society is through personal identity. By

being actively grounded in our roots, we are able to create a stronger foundation for ourselves as

individuals. This ultimately leads to contributing to the bigger picture known as civic

engagement. Through knowing what shapes you as a person and why those things are important

to you, it opens a door of opportunity to be able to connect with other people who are similar to

you and hold the same values. As stated in the excerpt from Chapter 4 of Nonprofit

Organizations and Civil Society in the United States, nonprofit organizations play an important

role in connecting individuals and groups in civil society. This concept is distinctly exemplified

through the Color of Change organization which is joined by approximately seven million

members and is arguably the nation’s largest online racial justice organization. This group is

made up of people who all share the same drive towards minimizing racism in America and

building one another up through campaigns and strategies. The fact that every individual

involved in this organization is motivated by the same pursuit creates a stronger force towards

achieving this goal. This is a clear depiction of Dr. Kopple’s statement which points out that,

“Identity is formed around shared experiences or shared beliefs.” We are more effective as a
group rather than solely individuals, therefore joining together through our shared identities

contributes to the advancement of The Color of Change organization.

In order to enhance the importance of a certain goal trying to be accomplished, it is

mandatory to promote the fact that multiple people are involved. This is necessary because it

prompts people to be more invested in the cause and learning the reasons for why others decide

to devote their time and energy towards it. The Color of Change organization was immediately

appealing to me due to the fact that there is such a significant number of individuals concerned

with the movement. This build up all starts with civic engagement and the ways that people

contribute in their society. As included in the Chapter 4 excerpt of Nonprofit Organizations and

Civil Society in the United States, Americans are able to engage with each other and create a

social capital by participating in social media and attending political events. Since the Color of

Change organization is an online organization, it is easily accessible to pertain to the movement

on the digital side of things. There are several featured campaigns that are linked to the website

which offer opportunities for people to discuss and promote these initiatives being mentioned by

the organization. By offering the option to people to engage in political conversation and share

their thoughts regarding this topic, it increases the chance of development towards tackling

injustice. Along with this, the organization also urges people to get involved and recognize that

their voices have power and influence. It encourages individuals to become a part of peaceful

rallies and protests which promote holding corporate and political leaders accountable. These

motives are what make this organization so incredibly special. It offers ways that people can

engage online and in person to ensure maximum effort and involvement by people wanting to

make a change.
 The final and of the most important attributes to contributing to societal change, is group

mobilization. This conduct is a process and requires an ordeal of reflection and execution. It

begins by defining the problem at hand, proceeds by establishing a community mobilization

group, develops through defining strategies, selecting target groups, and setting objectives. This

is a community effort in which execution is derived from community members uniting together

through their shared identities to achieve a common goal. These goals however are only reached

through complete simultaneousness and meeting on equal terms. A part of being an effective

team member is doing your part and trusting that your fellow members will do theirs. This

creates a solid foundation of trust and decreases the possibility of people being taken advantage

of for their work and effort put into the movement. According to Dr. Kopple, “forming an

association or a group is powerful because a group is better able to mobilize its members through

political engagement.” This idea supports the dynamic of the Color of Change organization and

how it aims to encourage individuals within communities to unite as one to form strategies that

adhere to the goal of changing the rules of society and ending the day to to day struggles of racial

injustice that Black people are faced with. By getting people to engage with not only the task at

hand, but also others involved, the chance at success is extremely increased.

Throughout the process of gaining knowledge about the Color of Change organization, it

is evident that the themes of identity, civic engagement, and group mobilization are actively

being adhered to. The purpose of this is to bring people together of similar motives and identities

to join forces and achieve a common goal. Racism is an issue that has caused an extreme amount

of strain on Black people as well as bystanders who have empathy for the position of African

Americans and want to contribute to making a change. This goal will only ever be reached
through the support and effort of large community organizations committed to doing their part to

create a less hostile environment for black people in America.

 Works Cited

Adler, Richard P. “What Do We Mean By ‘Civic Engagement’?” Civic Ventures, 2002,

www.unomaha.edu/international-studies-and-programs/_files/docs/adler-goggin-civic-en

gagement.pdf.

Koppell, Jonathan. “Identities and Mobilization.” Identity and Mobilization,

courses.ea.asu.edu/courses/course-v1:ASU+PAF112+2211B/courseware/4de3981b9e714

675be8e34be930b3284/af9d973e93564d50ba5e22809641f200/?activate_block_id=block-

v1%3AASU%2BPAF112%2B2211B%2Btype%40sequential%2Bblock%40af9d973e935

64d50ba5e22809641f200.

Rucker, James. “ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE.” Color Of Change, 2005,

colorofchange.org/about/.