By Amy Gillman and Dominique Miller, Illustration: from article, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, September 13, 2023
We all want to thrive in the places we live, and to have a say in the decisions affecting our communities. Yet, across the United States, too often those making planning and investment decisions are leaving residents out of decisions about priorities and solutions, especially in communities of color and communities with low incomes.
The community development sector, which does the work of building healthier communities, was born out of the civil rights and Black Power movements, with resident-led organizations working to address poverty and improve the quality of life for residents. But over time, the sector has become highly formalized and professionalized to capture resources for real estate projects like affordable housing and community facilities. Its growing overreliance on those with technical expertise and advanced degrees has led to underrepresentation of leaders and practitioners of color who live in and understand the needs and priorities of the communities most harmed by inequities. As less value has been placed on the intentional and steady work of building relationships and trust with the community, the field has moved farther from its roots in resident leadership and community self-determination.
At the same time the community development field has begun to recognize its long history of using “low income” as a proxy for race and that despite decades of investment, racial gaps in outcomes related to health, wealth, and wellbeing persist. There is a need to bring a more race-explicit lens to community development work, to ensure that the flow of capital addresses the needs of those most impacted by poverty and structural racism. Embracing equity and centering race is essential to advancing health and wellbeing for all.
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