Leadership Development and Political Education

By maintaining an active and aggressive grassroots effort through direct action organizing, we promote the ongoing education of bank tenants, homeowners, tenant leaders, and future leaders in the social justice movement.  We believe that by linking action to reflection, and encouraging a long-term commitment to holistic development of poor and working people, we are able to build a stronger, more sustainable movement for social change.

Anti-Displacement Organizing

For over forty years, City Life/Vida Urbana has organized communities against the forces that fuel displacement in our city. We believe that the right to housing is a basic human right, and that prioritizing the needs of people is more important than the needs of profit-making institutions.

Coalition/Movement Organizing

We believe that by building, convening, and participating in coalitions and strategic partners, we are able to more effectively mobilize and organize a mass movement for social change. We belong to a national Right to the City Network, convene regular New England regional meetings, and regularly organize collectively in our Greater Boston Metropolitan Network.  

Cultural Organizing and the Arts

The newest of our programs, the Cultural Organizing initiative seeks to tie popular education, direct action organizing, messaging, and member-led initiatives together using a coordinated approach. We recognize that advancing the movement and the fight for social and economic justice requires continual reflection, coupled with intentional action (fighting with heart and mind). In this process, we are able to creatively utilize members’ skills and knowledge to build public awareness and build the mass base we need to effectively advocate for social change.