From Protest to Progress: The Lesson of the Opportunities Industrialization Centers

Abstract

The Opportunities Industrialization Centers (OIC) program has been helping unemployed people since its inception in 1964. OIC was a response to a national need to train and motivate the urban poor. Starting with one center in Philadelphia, OIC has expanded to nearly 100 centers in cities across America, and can now claim one of the best records for providing training and jobs to the poor and the unemployed. I have been involved with OIC since its beginning, and I intend in this article to set forth some of the history, structure, and philosophical underpinnings of the program.