Rural Organizing in the United States

Marcy Westerling is founder of the Rural Organizing Project, a pioneering social justice group that combats discrimination and violence in small communities across Oregon. Westerling’s work as an Open Society Fellow takes her to Colorado, Idaho, Washington, and Nebraska, where she is “mapping” progressive infrastructure—from religious groups and public libraries to social-service agencies and civil rights coalitions—with the aim of revitalizing the movement for social justice and slowing the breakdown of our civic institutions.

At a recent lecture, Westerling looked at the challenges and opportunities of rural organizing after the election of Barack Obama and responding to the growing threat from the Right.

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