It is with deep appreciation and sadness that we honor the life and legacy of John McKnight, a visionary leader, co-founder of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), and a steadfast champion of Public Allies. John passed away peacefully on November 2nd at the age of 92.
John’s legacy spans decades of transformative work in community building, activism, and scholarship. He authored several seminal works, including Building Communities from the Inside Out, and played pivotal roles in advocating for social justice, civil rights, and community empowerment. His contributions to urban policy, community organizing, and social change have had a lasting impact, inspiring countless leaders and movements around the world.
John’s work emphasized the importance of recognizing and nurturing people’s gifts, local resources, relationships, and capacities in creating strong, resilient communities—a cornerstone of our own work at Public Allies. As we continue to teach and uphold these principles, we honor his profound contribution to the field and the communities we serve.
We celebrate John’s life, his extraordinary legacy, and the powerful ideas and practices that he helped to revive and spread in the modern world.
To give you a sense of his character and spirit, check out the videos below:
John McKnight telling the background of ABCD