Our Vision
The Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL) envisions a conscienticized and spiritually rooted movement of people organizing from the grassroots to transform and build liberative and democratic systems in the ongoing journey towards achieving a greater approximation of God’s Kin-dom.
Our Mission
CSPL is a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-generational spiritually-rooted organization that labors to transform racial, economic, social and environmental systemic structures through grassroots coalition building, community organizing, and liberative formation.
We accomplish our mission through these core strategic priorities (Methodology):
Building a powerful and dynamic coalition of member congregations, worker-owned cooperatives, universities, community organizations and institutions that can act boldly together in our communities and across society. (Coalition Building)
Organizing to transform and build systems and structures that advance racial, economic, social and environmental justice through community organizing and direct action. (Community Organizing)
Co-forming grassroots leaders and communities to be critically conscious, strategic and spirit-rooted through leadership and theological formation that is deeply grounded in the liberative Catholic and Christian traditions and popular education. (Liberative Formation)
Term Glossary:
Conscienticized - Comes from the English term conscientization. The term originally derives from the French term “conscienciser”used in Frantz Fanon's 1952 book, “Black Skins, White Masks.” In 1970, Brazilian educator, activist, and theorist, Paulo Freire, popularized this term, “conscientização,” which means "critical consciousness" and "consciousness raising" through his book, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Freire focused on how conscientization allows for marginalized and oppressed peoples to achieve a critical and in-depth understanding of systemic structures and oppression. Through critical consciousness, people are then able to take action to create a new world free from those oppressive structures.
Kin-dom - Coined by Sister Georgene Wilson, O.S.F and later introduced into public discourse by mujerista feminist, Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, the “Kin-dom” of God is a radical vision and statement of the world we are working to build. Jesus used the “Kingdom of God” to describe an alternative kingdom opposite of the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire. Jesus was describing a world rooted in kin-ship, equal distribution of resources and justice for the most marginalized.
Liberative - Any theory, action, or effort contributing and related to bringing justice, liberation and full humanization in the world.
Grassroots - Rather than taking a top-down approach, grassroots organizations and movements are rooted in a bottom-up approach in which residents, organic leaders and people at the local level who are most impacted by systemic injustices are the central protagonists who inform, guide, sustain and drive the organization’s mission and work. Grassroots organizations center democratic values and practices such as participatory decision-making, shared leadership, engaged listening, and by taking collective responsibility for their communities.
Spiritually-rooted - Engaged in an active way of life and set of spiritual practices that fosters a deep connection to God, to oneself, to others and to Mother Nature and that brings deeper awareness of our interconnectedness and co-responsibility for one another.