CAN A NEW CULTURE OF CIVIC PROFESSIONALISM FLOURISH?

The separation of work from citizenship and its effect in democracy is at the center of the challenge that Harry Boyte poses to us in his essay “Reinventing Citizenship as Public Work.” Here, I comment on Boyte’s challenge from my perspective as a former community organizer, and from what I have learned by integrating organizing practices with civic engagement in higher education institutions. My comments are based primarily on my work at Occidental College, a small residential liberal arts undergraduate college in Northeast Los Angeles. In addition, I will also refer to my doctoral research at the National University of