Carol Yancey didn't think anyone would recognize her as she waited near a fence this winter, hoping to get Colin Kapaernick's autograph. Then, someone in the crowd yelled, "I know you; you're the Block Party Queen!" Suddenly, Yancey (who got her autograph) felt like the celebrity. The crowd member had seen her video following her acceptance of the Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership in 2019. The video has gotten around, says Yancey, who hasn't stopped working to bring her Oakwood Trails community together in Clayton County, Georgia.
Yancey started on the road to becoming a resident leader when she reached out to Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership, Inc., (ANDP) in 2014. "She was concerned that so many of her neighbors were under water on loans – they owed more than their homes were worth," shares Susan Adams, ANDP's senior director of Operations. "She was really concerned about depressed property values and saw people leaving the community. When she learned that ANDP was trying to tackle the issue, she wanted to be a part of it." That's how resident leadership often starts: Someone in the community sees an issue and works to make things better. NeighborWorks has its roots in resident leadership with Dorothy Mae Richardson, who in the 1960s galvanized her own Pittsburgh community to remedy the problems of housing affordability, gentrification and redlining. Her work led to the founding of Neighborhood Housing Services of Pittsburgh, which became the national model for NeighborWorks America. NeighborWorks and its network provide training, grants and other support to help resident leaders make their projects seen, their voices heard.
As NeighborWorks America prepares to present six new honorees with the award named for Richardson, Yancey reflects on resident leadership and what it means. "I never considered myself a leader," she says. "But if I look from the outside in, I say it's about leading through service. People follow your actions. If they see you in motion, trying to address a common goal or an issue that resonates with everyone, they'll join you. You've got to have that spirit of service, and of wanting to make a change."
Yancey launched an annual block party and school supply drive. Throughout the pandemic, she's adjusted to meet community needs, organizing a vaccine clinic and safety fair with the fire department. She also worked with local businesses to bring masks and food to Oakwood Trails residents. Her goal is to bring common interests together and to create unity. "If it's a problem for one, at some point, it might be a problem for me and a problem for others," she says. The best way to work on a problem? "Together."
"Relationships are a big part of this," says Sarah Parmenter, NeighborWorks' director of Community Building. Richardson, for example, worked closely with a team of women, organizing, building relationships with bankers, with the city and with the media as they worked to save their Pittsburgh neighborhood.
Of resident leadership, Parmenter says, "It's why we do the work we do. We recognize it's the residents who have the deep knowledge and the history. They're the best authorities on what they need."
Adams, who works closely with Yancey, describes resident leaders as "cheerleaders. They are innovators. They are connectors. They just make things happen." They're also trusted members of their communities, she says. "When you have that, there's so much you can accomplish."
ANDP works with seven new resident leaders a year on projects through NeighborWorks' Community
Resident leaders meet in Atlanta to discuss their projects.
Leadership Institute (CLI) and their own Neighbors Together gatherings. Like Yancey, those leaders stay involved. Their slogan, Adams says, is "Empowering neighborhoods from the inside out." "We envision neighborhood leaders as residents who are empowered and who strengthen the fabric of the neighborhood; the entire neighborhood becomes stronger as a result."
Residents have helped strengthen the greater Atlanta community by:
- Installing new signs, creating community pride in Green Forest.
- Helping improve health and educational outcomes through residents joining the South Fulton Human Services Coalition.
- The publication of an electronic newspaper highlighting people, leaders and activities.
- Trash cleanup.
Supporting and elevating resident leadership is a big part of NeighborWorks America's new strategic plan, Parmenter says. "One motivated and charismatic leader out there doing the work and moving it forward makes a difference."
The Dorothy Richardson Awards for Resident Leadership will be presented during a virtual ceremony March 30 beginning at 6 p.m. Take a deeper look at the Community Leadership Institute and at how NeighborWorks empowers resident leaders.
