Jennifer Knox takes community organizer job in Virginia
That community feeling
That community feeling
Jennifer Knox is moving to the northern
Virginia area to be a community organizer for
Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community
Engagement (VOICE).
Virginia area to be a community organizer for
Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community
Engagement (VOICE).
By Jonathan Gramling
Part 2 of 2
Growing up in South Madison was a blessing for Jennifer Knox. Where others often focus on
South Madison’s shortcomings and challenges, Knox saw the strengths of South Madison including the
sense of community and citizens banding together to deal with challenges that they faced. She carried
that experience into her college years at UW-Madison and later as the organizing director of the
University of California Student Association (UCSA). Long before President Barack Obama — and Sarah
Palin — made community organizer a household word, organizing was in Knox’s blood.
UCSA is an independent student-led organization that works to empower California college
students to work on issues that affect them as students. “We teach a lot about power and some basic
grassroots organizing skills, definitely some outreach and volunteer recruitment,” Knox said during an
interview at Cargo Coffee in South Madison. “Students graduate quickly, so it’s a lot about leadership
development and trying to recruit freshmen and sophomores early and develop them into strong
leaders. It’s not hard to find young students who are fired up about things. We teach them to go find the
decision-makers and to talk to them about solutions. It’s a skill that’s learned, so they don’t just talk
about the problems. We try to take some already politicized students, fire them up and send them in the
right direction. We give them some strategy support. We also try to politicize students on a broad array
of issues.”
Part 2 of 2
Growing up in South Madison was a blessing for Jennifer Knox. Where others often focus on
South Madison’s shortcomings and challenges, Knox saw the strengths of South Madison including the
sense of community and citizens banding together to deal with challenges that they faced. She carried
that experience into her college years at UW-Madison and later as the organizing director of the
University of California Student Association (UCSA). Long before President Barack Obama — and Sarah
Palin — made community organizer a household word, organizing was in Knox’s blood.
UCSA is an independent student-led organization that works to empower California college
students to work on issues that affect them as students. “We teach a lot about power and some basic
grassroots organizing skills, definitely some outreach and volunteer recruitment,” Knox said during an
interview at Cargo Coffee in South Madison. “Students graduate quickly, so it’s a lot about leadership
development and trying to recruit freshmen and sophomores early and develop them into strong
leaders. It’s not hard to find young students who are fired up about things. We teach them to go find the
decision-makers and to talk to them about solutions. It’s a skill that’s learned, so they don’t just talk
about the problems. We try to take some already politicized students, fire them up and send them in the
right direction. We give them some strategy support. We also try to politicize students on a broad array
of issues.”
Earlier this summer, Knox quit her job in California and took a job as a community organizer for an affiliate of the Industrial Areas Foundation —
which was established in 1940 by Saul Alinsky and is based in Chicago — called Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (Voice).
Madison’s own Dane County United is also an affiliate.
Her work in Virginia will not be totally different than her work in California although she will be working with an older age group. “One of the
issues that they are organizing around is a higher education issue,” Knox said. “Out there if you are a U.S. citizen and your parents are not
documented — if they are not a U.S. citizen for whatever reason — they determine your financial aid status by your parents. So if my parents were not
from here, I may not be eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid. It should be unconstitutional.”
The whole issue around higher education is a personal affront to Knox because she is keenly aware of the importance of education to upward
mobility. “It helped my family so much,” Knox emphasized. “My mom went to school until I was nine years old. I remember her graduation. Now, so
far, my older sister, my next sister and I have degrees or are in college. It does matter. So to help people be a first generation college student, you
know it will manifest itself later.”
Knox observed. “I also think there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that we all think about why it is an issue that impacts all of us.
Especially, I think it is a racial justice issue. I think there is some unity that needs to be built around it. But we should also recognize there are
supporters from a lot of different sectors. We need to build more supporters and more people who understand the issues and are willing to back
immigrants in the United States. We all at some point had immigrants in our families.”
While Knox is content to be the person behind the scenes helping communities come together to do something positive about the issues
confronting them, she doesn’t rule out a run for public office at some point. “Right now, I really enjoy bringing together communities so they can hold
their elected officials accountable,” Knox said. “I wouldn’t say never to running for something myself or being involved in the more political end. I
would just want to make sure it was something that would help me get something. I would have to have a mission for it. It would be something that
would transform communities. Right now, I can transform communities by bringing people together.”
The recent turmoil in Iran reminded Knox how lucky she is to live in the U.S. where she doesn’t have to worry about violence while she is
practicing her trade. Nonetheless, she sees the need for a lot of improvement.
“I believe there is a lot that needs to be improved to eliminate a lot of the inequities that there are in the U.S,” Knox said. “I think that just not
young people, but also everyone sees that and I think it is becoming more and more revealed. I hope that out of the economic crisis, there is a little
bit more clarity and open eyes to what a lot of people have been living for a very long time.”
which was established in 1940 by Saul Alinsky and is based in Chicago — called Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (Voice).
Madison’s own Dane County United is also an affiliate.
Her work in Virginia will not be totally different than her work in California although she will be working with an older age group. “One of the
issues that they are organizing around is a higher education issue,” Knox said. “Out there if you are a U.S. citizen and your parents are not
documented — if they are not a U.S. citizen for whatever reason — they determine your financial aid status by your parents. So if my parents were not
from here, I may not be eligible for in-state tuition and financial aid. It should be unconstitutional.”
The whole issue around higher education is a personal affront to Knox because she is keenly aware of the importance of education to upward
mobility. “It helped my family so much,” Knox emphasized. “My mom went to school until I was nine years old. I remember her graduation. Now, so
far, my older sister, my next sister and I have degrees or are in college. It does matter. So to help people be a first generation college student, you
know it will manifest itself later.”
Knox observed. “I also think there is a lot of work to be done to make sure that we all think about why it is an issue that impacts all of us.
Especially, I think it is a racial justice issue. I think there is some unity that needs to be built around it. But we should also recognize there are
supporters from a lot of different sectors. We need to build more supporters and more people who understand the issues and are willing to back
immigrants in the United States. We all at some point had immigrants in our families.”
While Knox is content to be the person behind the scenes helping communities come together to do something positive about the issues
confronting them, she doesn’t rule out a run for public office at some point. “Right now, I really enjoy bringing together communities so they can hold
their elected officials accountable,” Knox said. “I wouldn’t say never to running for something myself or being involved in the more political end. I
would just want to make sure it was something that would help me get something. I would have to have a mission for it. It would be something that
would transform communities. Right now, I can transform communities by bringing people together.”
The recent turmoil in Iran reminded Knox how lucky she is to live in the U.S. where she doesn’t have to worry about violence while she is
practicing her trade. Nonetheless, she sees the need for a lot of improvement.
“I believe there is a lot that needs to be improved to eliminate a lot of the inequities that there are in the U.S,” Knox said. “I think that just not
young people, but also everyone sees that and I think it is becoming more and more revealed. I hope that out of the economic crisis, there is a little
bit more clarity and open eyes to what a lot of people have been living for a very long time.”
