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Community Development
In the 1920s, Marcus Garvey, leader of the United Negro Improvement Association, advocated for Black community unity, a "back to Africa" migration of African Americans, and independence from White control through expansion of Black businesses and the creation of association cooperatives (Clay & Jones, 2009, p. 6). Black business development continued to be a central tenet of other groups such as the National Urban League and the Nation of Islam, established in the 1930s (Clay & Jones, 2009).
community development during this period was not solely an urban phenomenon. Originating in the South in the 1920s, the Cooperative Extension Service "continued to assist rural communities by means of a series of local clubs that joined with extension agents in developing and working out local programs [of community development) work" (Phifer, 1980). Community clubs in African American communities continued to work on the principle of developing projects with people, rather than for people. By 1923, more than 21,000 communities were engaged in cooperative extension community development projects at the grassroots level (Phifer, 1980). During the Great Depression, the federal government expanded such community development efforts through several national initiatives.
A significant federal community development effort that affected both urban and rural communities was the Works Progress Administration, a massive work relief program of community betterment administered by social worker Harry Hopkins (1890-1946). By 1936, the Works Progress Administration had put one third of unemployed Americans to work. Hopkins also pioneered the development of the Civilian Conservation Corps, through which "young men whose families were on relief" were employed in improving parks and in community beautification projects (Compton, 1980, p. 418). One of the most famous community development projects of all time was the Tennessee Valley Authority (2011), which, although it displaced thousands of people, served as as landmark in improving the lives of rural communities through electrification and other projects.
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