A Queens Project that Does it Right

Building Movement Reflection. Case Study: Queens Community House

I read the case study of the Queens Community House (QCH) published by The Building Movement Project (www.buildingmovement.org).  Values of inclusion and social justice were the building blocks of this organization when it was established in 1975. QCH satisfied the mandate of having a community-wide, “inclusive” element as part of a low-income housing project spearheaded by then-governor Mario Cuomo. Over the years it has grown to reach over 20,000 residents at 21 different sites, and is no longer solely the focal point of the original Forest Hills community where it began.

Reading the case study, I was struck not only by the power of its leader, Irma Rodriguez, but of its flexibility as an organization to change with the times and therefore, succeed.  Despite the cynicism that is often prevalent in discussions about social service organizations, Queens Community House is a shining example of how to do it “right.” By reaching out to other organizations to form coalitions, by offering programs that empower their residents to act on their own behalf and by demanding that their own staffers actively commit to community building, QCH illustrates that human service organizations can make a huge impact on the people they serve. It is a great example of a mission driven organization that evolves from one generation to the next and illustrates the importance of organizing growth in order to sustain the organization itself. When they veered too far from their original core values, they course corrected. It took a great leader—Irma Rodriguez – to recognize that they had gone off kilter and bring them back on track, on numerous occasions.

On a personal note, I have been to the Forest Hills community that first launched QCH and have interviewed residents there as part of various political campaigns I helped. Mario Cuomo, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, even Mike Bloomberg have all taken credit for the good that has come out of these Queens projects. It had been my experience that many of these projects looked great at campaign time, but had little true, sustaining value to the communities they were meant to serve. My initial reaction, as I began reading, was wondering if the “true” political side of the story would be present. It wasn’t; but reading this case study gave me renewed hope.

“We see services as a means, not just as an end,” says Irma Rodriguez, Queens Community House’s executive director. I believe her. They‘ve gone back and forth over the years in terms of what took center stage: social services or tenants’ right s or community building or advocacy for families and children. The bottom line is, since their inception in the 70s, they have faithfully maintained their goal of being a connecting body within the community. They’ve been an active collaborator; flexible enough to change with the times, deepening their relationship to the community and helping the community stay intact. Kudos to Irma Rodriguez! Long live the Queens Community House!

Cultural Intelligence Can Lead to Life...or Death

The New York Times calls it "cathartic rage." In response to a video made by some far-right "believers" satirizing Islam, Muslims and the prophet Muhammed that went viral on YouTube, the Arab world has erupted. The American ambassador in Libya, along with four other diplomatic workers, killed this week. Demonstrators in Gaza chanted, “Death to America and to Israel!” Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and held protests in the West Bank. The German embassy in Khartoum, was under siege earlier today. State media in Egypt has reported more than 220 people injured in the clashes since Tuesday. The chasm between the Muslim world and everyone else is widening; the protesters, nearly deafening. There is an unmistakable scream being heard around the world. And all I keep thinking about is this: freedom indeed has its price and its own language that many who have lived without it simply do not understand. What is absolutely crystal clear is that different cultures value behaviors differently and what is an expression of free speech in one land can lead to death in another. Simply put, our cultural intelligence differs.

What is cultural intelligence? It is the way we come to understand ourselves in the context of our societies, our values and the behaviors that result.  In the United States, we value speed of intelligence, i.e. how quickly we get to the point. We hold in esteem those who can quickly understand a concept. We value free speech and that means we need to listen even when we are in great disagreement. We value honesty, forthrightness. We even value dissent. The values we  hold dear, including freedom of speech, freedom of movement, freedom to live life as we see fit, make up the foundation for our cultural intelligence and is the way we assess each other's individual intelligence. These same values are NOT the foundation for other societies, as we are witnessing now in the Arab world.

There are Imams who are calling for the US government to arrest and punish the producers of the video. Would public beatings or beheadings be the answer? Perhaps in their culturally intelligent way of thinking, yes. But to Americans who hold freedom of speech as one of the most important values we have, this is unthinkable. So how can we ever expect to lessen this chasm when we do not value the same things? Have we crossed over too far to ever bring us back?

I think there will be a time of widening before we can ever come together again. There needs to be a new language in diplomacy; one that speaks using cultural intelligence. Until everyone truly understands cultural intelligence and how that factors in, until the world understands that we all have differing points of view, there will be no end.