ISSUE #06:

“Love is a combination of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust.” – bell hooks

This profound insight from author, educator, and social critic bell hooks, encapsulates the essence of what I believe effective leadership in equitable community development can look like. 

Co-creation through co-design with communities – where leadership is not only about guiding but also about listening, engaging, and growing together – is a pivotal practice that harnesses these values to drive meaningful and sustainable change. 

I work at Design Impact, a social innovation firm that uses co-design to address complex problems. We help partners solve problems and drive social change more inclusively and effectively by using co-design, which is an approach to solving problems that strive to actively and equitably involve all impacted communities in a design process. In the ever-evolving landscape of community development, leadership shouldn’t be about imposing top-down solutions but rather about fostering genuine partnerships with the community – in partnership with is at the heart of co-design. 

To understand why co-design with community is crucial, we must first acknowledge the shift from traditional, hierarchical leadership models to more collaborative approaches. Historically, many community development projects have been designed and executed by external entities, often overlooking the invaluable input and expertise of the very communities they aim to build on. This disconnect not only often leads to ineffective solutions but also erodes trust and undermines the long-term impact of these initiatives.

Collaborative leadership demands a commitment to building long-term relationships founded on trust and mutual respect. Co-design embodies these principles by ensuring that community members are not merely recipients of something created without their input but active participants in the decision-making process. This approach can not only enhance the relevance and effectiveness of development initiatives but also acknowledge the power communities have to take ownership of their growth and progress.

Consider the concept of co-design as an ongoing dialogue rather than a one-time consultation. It involves collaborators in every stage – from identifying needs to designing solutions and creating change together. In addition, this participatory approach aims to ensure that initiatives are tailored to the unique needs and aspirations of the community, leading to more sustainable and impactful results. By engaging with communities in this way, I believe we can demonstrate care and respect, which are two essential components of the love-based leadership model proposed by hooks.

To cultivate and harness leadership effectively, it is essential to move beyond superficial engagement and embrace a model of true co-design. This requires a shift in mindset from viewing communities as passive beneficiaries to recognizing them as active contributors to the process. Leaders must be willing to relinquish some control and embrace the unpredictability that comes with genuine collaboration. They must also be prepared to invest time and resources in building and sustaining relationships with community members. 

The following is a set of principles of co-design: 

• Co-design is a transformative process for the organizations and people involved.
• Co-design changes mindsets and behaviors.
• Co-design prioritizes what is just and feasible.
• Co-design disrupts power over and builds power with.
• Co-design builds on existing behaviors, actions, and history.
• Co-design inspires joy and healing by building connection and repairing trust.

The benefits of co-design extend beyond the immediate impact of community development projects. By embedding these principles into the core of leadership practice, communities as a whole can become stronger and more resilient. Projects could become more aligned with community needs, trust between community collaborators could deepen, and the sector’s capacity to fulfill its mission could be significantly enhanced.

Co-design with community is not merely a methodological shift but a fundamental rethinking of leadership in community development. By embracing the values of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, respect, and trust, we can foster more effective and sustainable solutions. As we continue to navigate complex social challenges, let us remember that true leadership is about building bridges, not barriers. By working together, we can create a more equitable and just world.

Leadership (noun): a powerful and transformative force, one that on a day-to-day basis we often overlook because society has conditioned us to believe that “leadership” is something to be voted upon, not something found within.

For me, leadership transcends color, race, or origin. It is rooted in the desire to uplift others, create positive change, and build a better future for one’s community. Over the past year and a half, I’ve had the privilege of redefining leadership in my own neighborhood – a place rich in history but where many feel overlooked and forgotten. Becoming a leader in a community that has often felt silenced required me to embrace these challenges and dedicate myself fully to the work. I push hard to ensure that every voice is heard, regardless of age, and empower those around me to believe in their ability to make a lasting difference.

As a resident of this community, I saw the need to nurture leadership qualities in our younger generation. This led me to create Five Senses Farming, Agriculture, and Culinary Arts in 2023, an initiative designed to help children discover the leaders within themselves by simply growing food and preparing meals for their families. Five Senses has provided children in the Douglass Community with hands-on learning experiences, fostering both independence and leadership skills. Through this initiative, participants engage all five senses as they explore the essentials of farming, gardening, and culinary arts. This immersive approach encourages creativity, teamwork, and responsibility, as the children are tasked with growing, harvesting, and preparing their own food. Over the summer, we organized field trips to the Memphis Botanic Garden and Dixon Gallery and Gardens, where the youth experienced one-on-one guidance on garden layouts and plant care. These field trips deepened their understanding of agricultural practices and instilled a sense of ownership and pride in their work, enabling them to take leadership roles in both the garden and the kitchen. The program has been instrumental in teaching practical skills while also empowering youth to contribute to the community’s sustainable future.

I’ve witnessed how engaging in activities like farming and cooking can spark self-reliance, teamwork, and creativity – essential qualities that transform youth into leaders. The program gave me a unique opportunity to study and experience the core values of youth leadership and to prove that even in a community where many have been conditioned to say “I can’t,” we can inspire our young people to confidently stand up and say, “I will.”

One of the most important qualities of leadership is empathy. Understanding the experiences, struggles, and hopes of others is crucial, especially when guiding young people who face significant challenges. A leader who listens and genuinely cares can build trust and foster unity. In youth leadership, empathy is key to connecting with peers and inspiring them to be change agents in their communities.

Vision is another vital component. A leader must have a clear idea of what they want to achieve and how they plan to get there. For youth leaders, this vision could be focused on improving educational opportunities, addressing local needs, or creating spaces for growth. The ability to communicate this vision and inspire others to work toward it is what propels movements and builds collaborative energy.

Perseverance is also essential. Change does not happen overnight, and the journey is rarely easy. For young leaders, understanding the importance of perseverance teaches them that leadership means staying committed even when challenges arise. By cultivating resilience and determination, they learn to push through setbacks and continue making a positive impact.

Leadership thrives on collaboration. No one person can overcome challenges alone. By teaching youth the importance of teamwork, partnership, and collective success, we help them understand that leadership is about bringing people together and leveraging strengths. When young leaders learn the power of collaboration, they not only achieve more but also develop a deep sense of ownership and commitment to long-term goals.

Leadership doesn’t have a specific color, race, or origin – only a desired heart and mind to see others do well. Leadership is not defined by external factors but by an unwavering commitment to make a positive impact. For youth leaders, embracing this mindset early on shapes them into empathetic, visionary, and resilient individuals who are ready to uplift their communities.

Effective youth leadership requires empathy, vision, perseverance, and collaboration. It’s about stepping up to challenges and working tirelessly to create a better future for all. Leadership is not defined by race, color, or origin, but by the desire to see others succeed and the willingness to do what it takes to make that happen. At 5 Senses, we are preparing the next generation of leaders with these qualities for building stronger, more unified communities.

As part of our research dive into leadership in the community development sector, we spent some time with Justin Godard unpacking what it takes to effectively support community development leadership, especially for resident leaders of color. 

How would you describe the current state of community development leaders of color?

Justin: My first question is: What do we mean by “community development leaders”? There are folks, like me, who have been able to get a formal education or credentials to be in a professional community development role. And there are resident leaders, who are pillars of their community. Sometimes these groups overlap and sometimes they don’t. I’ve been in both, but they’re different groups and require different support. 

In the professional sphere, I’m seeing more people of color in leadership positions. But there are still limitations, based on whether folks have the right credentials or letters behind their names. 

Meanwhile, grassroots leaders are doing excellent work on the ground. They may not have formal training, but they’re committed to their communities. But are they being supported, recognized, and resourced? That’s where I view my role: lending my platform to grassroots leaders who are doing that day-to-day work. We need to bring resident leaders into professional spaces and conversations. Beyond just having them on a board of directors, we need to provide guidance about what board governance means and how to run an organization. Those are skills that can help someone better serve their community or even start their own organization.

One program I helped develop was the Community Revitalization Fellowship, which supports residents who are leading community revitalization work–most of whom are people of color or who come from historically disadvantaged groups and neighborhoods. Each participating community hosts an exchange to offer conversations between leaders to share struggles and solutions. Community Progress provides practical information and training about what causes vacancy, terminology in community development, community organizing, and revitalization strategies residents can advocate for. We want to make sure that when these local leaders go into professional spaces and communicate with city departments, they’re not being talked around.

Community-based work may not always have those quantitative success measures, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not impactful. We’ve heard in the research that leaders of color who are passionate about the work can be over-tapped with obligations or pulled in many different ways. How can they be supported?

Justin: We need to continue to build people up and deepen the bench so that we don’t always go to just one person. We want the fellowship program to be a pipeline for growing resident leaders, which is why we are intentional about calling the participants back to speak on webinars and lead panels. They are the experts on resident-led community development, so we want to give them a platform that the entire field – including funders and other city departments – can see and can recognize their wisdom.

Have you experienced any challenges, political or social opposition to racially explicit language, programming or services?

Justin: You can’t talk about vacant properties or community development generally without talking about race and racism, redlining, and strategic divestment from specific communities. While the Center for Community Progress’ focus is addressing vacant properties, we also know it’s not enough to just say we’re addressing racism implicitly by working on vacancy. We need to be explicit and intentional about talking about how race and racism impacts our work.

Sometimes, in communities, folks don’t want to talk about race. However, we don’t shy away from that conversation because we believe this work can only be effective if we can talk about the experiences of Black and Brown people most impacted.

Are there systemic or structural challenges to providing effective leadership supports for leaders of color? How could those be addressed?

Justin: Ultimately, the field needs more flexible funding that supports community-based, resident leadership initiatives. Often, funders want to see success within a one- or two-year timeline, and that’s not always possible when you’re building trust and relationships. The field needs to support activities that reach towards a vision. And even if those activities ultimately didn’t advance the vision, there’s still value in knowing what didn’t work, and why. 

Another major challenge is that the community development field is very siloed. While each area of focus is important, if we can’t come together to address all of the challenges happening in communities simultaneously, we’re not going to reach our collective goal: communities with a high quality of life that allow for opportunity, joy, hope, and prosperity for the people living there. All the work we’re doing is important. But how are we in conversation with one another? How are we addressing multiple issues at the same time? And how do we make sure the most impacted people are at the heart of that? Resident leaders and lived experience is critical to that work.

Community development is typically defined as efforts aimed at improving the quality of life in underserved communities. It often focuses on communities that have been historically disenfranchised, denied access to essential needs like health care, food, education, and safe environments. But in wealthier communities, these same actions – access to healthy food, nurturing relationships, and safety – are simply part of daily life, not considered “community development.” When people’s well-being is valued and prioritized, the activities that foster thriving become routine expectations.

In a recent ProInspire team meeting, we asked, “What is one wish you have for families of color to thrive?” Our responses were revealing: time to enjoy life, connection, healthy mental and physical health, freedom from generational oppression, and simply being able to exist without fear or under the white gaze. These desires for self-determination reflect fundamental needs for well-being – needs often denied to Black and Brown communities due to systemic inequities.

However, the nonprofit sector has historically operated in ways that are disconnected from the real needs of under-resourced communities. Many nonprofits, led by leadership standards that are not community-centered, often have a charity mindset – focused on scaling up for broader impact rather than deep, meaningful change. This approach fails to account for the unique needs of different communities, ignoring one of the core tenets of equity, that everyone needs something different based on their environment and lived experiences. True equity requires context-specific solutions that honor the histories and realities of the people in those communities.

Even well-meaning organizations often fall short of their stated values. Many nonprofits excel at “talking the talk” of equity but struggle to align their actions with their messages. Centering whiteness and dominant cultural norms as the standard to which all should aspire perpetuates deficit-based thinking about communities of color. This approach rewards proximity to whiteness while diminishing the wisdom, assets, and brilliance within historically disenfranchised communities.

Equitable leadership is not race-neutral; it is rooted in identity, culture, and history. Leaders who are disconnected from the communities they serve often make decisions for short-term gains, unintentionally causing harm in the long run. The dynamics within many traditional nonprofits mirror the broader societal systems of oppression and hierarchy. If we want to achieve lasting, equitable change, we must shift toward a model of leadership that reflects the values and needs of the communities we serve.

A critical aspect of community-based leadership is recognizing our interconnectedness. The African philosophy of Ubuntu, which means “I am because we are,” embodies this idea. Leaders who are connected to their communities see themselves within those communities. They feel accountable for creating lasting change, not because it’s part of their job, but because it’s a calling. This type of leadership requires a deep understanding of one’s identity and how it has been shaped generationally. It also calls for space – space for leaders to show up authentically and reflect on how their values guide decision making and align with their communities’ needs.

At ProInspire, we believe that leadership capable of creating lasting change must be racially equitable leadership. These two are inextricably linked. Our leadership model emphasizes the importance of leading both oneself and the systems in which we operate. By exploring identity and reimagining societal outcomes together, we can create a more equitable future.

In our latest report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we define thriving communities as “the ability to access and share resources to create conditions that support equitable living and outcomes for all.” This research highlights the importance of community-based leadership – leadership that is people-centered, invests in individuals, and aligns with the values of the community. When leaders are connected to their communities, trust and reciprocity flourish, enabling decisions that reflect the collective values of the people they serve.

To sustain and foster lasting change, leaders of color need spaces where they can be their authentic selves, where they don’t have to explain their lived experiences, and where they are free from the pressures of conforming to dominant culture norms. These spaces are essential for fostering the kind of leadership that can create lasting, meaningful change.

Building nonprofit organizations where workers are conscious of their mindsets, behaviors, and beliefs creates rich opportunities for learning. Together, we can build a more beautiful democracy – one that is equitable, interconnected, and founded in love.