When James Norman arrived in Rochester in 1992 to assume leadership of Action for a Better Community, the agency was synonymous with James McCuller, who had led it in outspoken fashion for 25 years.
Now, Norman is retiring after his own quarter-century term. In that time has left his own indelible imprint on the organization, steering it toward increased cooperation with other groups and, more recently, a renewed focus on structural racism in Rochester.
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Where McCuller was bold, Norman has worked behind the scenes, focusing on service provision and key collaborations.
"I’ve put an emphasis on a different type of advocacy than the ‘60s and ‘70s style," he said. "Just because you can print a sign and march around a building doesn’t mean you’re doing advocacy. It can be making sure you’re in the right room in the right time; it can be using data to make your case; it can be organizing and collaborating."
ABC was one of hundreds of community action agencies established across the country through the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964; the agencies' charge is to administer federal funding for anti-poverty programs, including Head Start.
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Norman took over in 1992, a few months after McCuller's death. He recalled difficult early years spent trimming the 45-person board of directors and re-orienting the organization toward a mission of, in his words, "engaging people in a life-changing relationship so they're not coming back to us year after year for the same thing."
That meant, for instance, ending the annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaways, which he reasoned was something other organizations could handle.
"You can imagine — the board was quite upset at this person from out of town, new to the community, taking food out of people’s mouths," he said. "I felt I needed to make the point that we cannot be all things to all people. We’re not the NAACP. ... We’re a human services organization whose first responsibility is to deliver the services we’re funded to deliver."
Dana Miller, a member of both the Rochester City Council and the ABC Board of Trustees, said Norman's strength has been in listening to varying viewpoints and making informed decisions.
"Sometimes in an agency like (ABC) people think you should be out there every day calling for this or that," Miller said. "But just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have to be out in front constantly being quoted somewhere. ... (Norman) tends to be more of a quiet leader who is able to get the best out of his people."
In the last 10 years, Norman has devoted much of his energy to local anti-racism efforts, in particular Facing Race, Embracing Equity. While acknowledging the progress that has been made in "planting seeds," he said local leaders — in particular those in private business, or in the suburbs — must increase their dedication to the cause.
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For example, he said the inclusion of a structural racism plank in the Rochester-Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative (RMAPI) mission met with "strong resistance from some of the most influential people in the community."
"I was amazed at their unease, given where they sit," he said. "You would have thought we were trying to destroy Rochester. ... I don’t think by any stretch of the imagination that everyone is going to get it. But I do know that some people who need to get it, don’t have it. They just have some words."
RMAPI, Norman said, needs to focus on public policy and tangible benefits, namely jobs, rather than focusing only on strengthening the existing infrastructure. For example, public housing assistance is largely useless outside city limits because landlords don't accept it.
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Norman will step down at the end of January. ABC has settled upon his replacement but has not yet announced the name.
JMURPHY7@Gannett.com