Steven Merrick

About Steven Merrick

I am a dynamic grassroots community organizer with 7 years of thoroughly enjoyable experience and an innate ability to build relationships, connect with people, and strategize for impactful change. I continually forge these relationships to build power with marginalized groups of people to positively impact lives through policy change. I am in the business of creating spaces of belonging where people feel safe, stories are shared and bridges are built.I now hold the esteemed position of Senior Community Organizer at Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE) in San Bernardino, California. Rooted in faith and driven by a divine calling, our work at Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement centers on cultivating transformational relationships with faith-based entities and Black-led organizations to drive social justice initiatives forward. Leveraging my Strategic Communications coursework from Morgan State University, and my years of community work experience, I lead campaign strategies that resonate deeply within our communities, fostering a sense of belonging and collective action to shape COPE\'s policy agenda around their lives.As a Senior Organizer, I am committed to integrating data insights through research and interpersonal communication to build stronger, more effective partnerships for COPE.

Experience

1. Senior Organizer

   Congregations Organized For Prophetic Engagement C.O.P.E

   Apr 2023 — Present · San Bernardino, CA, US

   Cultivating transformational relationships with faith-based and Black-led organizations, integrating with partners to build mutually beneficial relationships and execute organizing strategies.Leading campaign strategy development and work planning, managing and coaching a team of organizers, and setting priorities with executive leadership.Leveraging data and insights to inform campaign strategies through market research on the experiences, perceptions of and anxieties about justice and crime.Create content for digital mailers and track data analytics to see the number of click-throughs and sign-ups for our events. Developed a new mission statement while building relationships with partner organizations across California using our brand voice as the premier Black-led, faith-rooted, grassroots organization in our region.Write speeches and speak at press conferences, MC, and present at community events, and candidate forums.Current Data Research Fellow with the Alliance of Boys and Men of Color (ABMoC)

Education

• Morgan State University

  Strategic Communications

  2010 — 2015