Remembering John L. McKnight: The Visionary Behind NECIC's Foundational Philosophy

 On Saturday, November 2, 2024, John L. McKnight passed away at 93 years of age. McKnight’s philosophy and work was foundational to the creation of NECIC and guides all NECIC’s Community Development and planning activities. So, who was John McKnight and what does he have to do with a small neighborhood non-profit in Mansfield, Ohio?

John McKnight was a prominent figure in community development, best known for co-founding the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute. Born in Ohio, he attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and later served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. Upon returning, McKnight worked with various activist organizations, including the Chicago Commission for Human Relations and the Illinois American Civil Liberties Union. In 1969, he joined Northwestern University to help establish the Center for Urban Affairs, focusing on research to support urban change agents and progressive urban policy .

McKnight's significant contribution to community development is the creation of the ABCD approach, which emphasizes leveraging a community's existing assets and strengths rather than focusing on its deficiencies. Alongside his colleague John P. Kretzmann, he co-authored Building Communities from the Inside Out, a foundational text outlining this methodology. Their work has influenced community development strategies worldwide, promoting sustainable development by empowering communities to utilize their inherent resources .

McKnight is also the author of The Careless Society: Community and its Counterfeits, a classic critique of professionalized social services and a celebration of communities’ ability to heal themselves from within; The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods with Peter Block, an exploration of the riches in neighborhoods and small towns; and An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture with Peter Block and Walter Brueggemann, an exploration of the nature of community life outside the consumer society .

In the early 2000s, NECIC Founder Deanna West-Torrence picked up a book in Joe Mudra’s office at the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center. Although she didn’t know it at the time, the book, The Careless Society…, by John McKnight, would be fundamental to the start of NECIC .

At that time, Deanna and Jim Kulig were on a committee together at the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce. When Deanna shared with Jim how much she enjoyed The Careless Society…, Jim indicated that John McKnight’s niece, Julie Myers, worked at the Richland County Juvenile Court with him .

Meanwhile, the Mansfield News Journal ran a series of articles titled “Who Killed Corey Jones?”, and Tom Brennan and the News Journal hosted a series of community leader convenings. It was decided at these convenings that the community needed to explore a different approach to Community Development. Deanna suggested John McKnight and the ABCD model .

They decided to explore ABCD, and a group of local leaders were sent to Chicago for training. In addition to Deanna, who was the Director of the Community Health Access Project (CHAP) and Fifth Ward City Councilwoman at that time, she was joined by Kevin Nestor, Chamber of Commerce President, Karen Moody-Bierly, Founder and Executive Director of CACY, Greg Frankenfield, Richland County Children Services, and the late Joan Day, Director of the Ocie Hill Neighborhood Center and Neighborhood Youth Corps .

Upon returning to Mansfield, Deanna was convinced that ABCD was the way forward in Community Development. She was determined to make ABCD a foundational element of what was at that time, merely an idea. An organization that would comprehensively address quality of life issues by working with North End residents to plan, convene, and develop leaders. That organization is NECIC, and our dedication to ABCD principles continues to this very day .

Sources:

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