Annie Estlund

WHO: Annie Estlund, Fort Myers, Fla.

WHAT: Helped form "Lee County Pulling Together" (LCPT), an effort to mobilize large numbers of area residents to address issues of race, racism, and segregation

HOW: Estlund got together with such individuals as the publisher of one of the city's newspapers and a prominent local pastor to start recruiting participants for LCPT, with Estlund serving as volunteer project coordinator.

In the project's first two years, LCPT recruited 600 local citizens of different races and backgrounds to participate in small-group discussions and large "action forums." Together, LCPT members launched efforts of benefit to the community as a whole, such as fixing up a stretch of local highway, and efforts to benefit those with the greatest need, such as helping build a house with Habitat for Humanity.

The group's most wide-ranging accomplishment was its role in the creation of a new shopping center in one of the city's low-income neighborhoods. Following group discussion of the need for easier access to shopping in poorer parts of town, LCPT members formed a task force to conduct a market survey and to reach out to potential backers, local officials, and business interests.

Ultimately, LCPT played a crucial role in facilitating conversation between local government and a minority business developer, helping turn an idea into action. And even though the shopping center directly improved the lives of those in only one particular neighborhood, the entire group worked tirelessly to make the dream a reality.

Read more about Annie Estlund's story and others like hers in The Next Form of Democracy by Matt Leighninger.