Leadership development in the rural South is in large part about supporting and amplifying the voices of community members to shift power dynamics and inequities in support of creating vibrant communities where people want to stay and raise their families. Authentic leadership is hard work, which often goes unrecognized and unappreciated.

During this journey, Southern leaders noted the bias they’ve experienced, often from national groups who tend to look at the South as in need of a savior. But because of a deep history of racism and exclusion, the South also has a deep history of activism and organizing. Savvy leaders know that progress takes time and a deep commitment to relationship building and knowing the communities they represent. 

Because of the region’s history, Southern leaders have to first examine who is at the table, and how they get underrepresented groups there. This is true in the South, and any rural community in America. Leaders cannot separate the interdependence of economic development and social justice issues.

Southern Leaders Operate within a Complex Historical System

John Simpkins, president of MDC, spoke to attendees about the history of the South and how that translates to leadership. John shared:

“We have a phrase in the South, ‘I know that person but I can’t place her.’ It’s the placing of people, putting them where you think they need to be or where they belong, that is deeply resonant. Where you are is who you are.”

“I love the term ‘placekeeping,’ that’s really important in rural places. I’ve come back home to do this after doing it in other places.”
-Rachel Reynolds, Stone County, Arkansas

As the South and its communities changed over time, some things remain the same. It’s difficult to separate people or issues from their community as a whole. Leadership in rural communities is relational, not transactional. To create change, one has to know the place and the people from the ground up. It’s only through authentic relationships—that in big and small ways, reckon with race, gender, and social norms—that change happens. Over time, rural communities in the South are overcoming its legacy of what John describes as “exclusion, extraction, and exploitation.”

Listen in as John talks about what leadership looks like, and four key issues that face rural communities in the South. 

Formal Leadership Training is Often a Complement to Leadership Skills Learned Elsewhere

A common theme of this journey was that although formal leadership training can make a big difference, a lot of leaders were shaped by other experiences. For example, some learned leadership from their families, in the military, or by stepping up and learning through action and reflection.

The leaders on this journey emphasized that creating space for others to lead is often the best way to cultivate leadership.

Humility is common in among the leaders in this journey. Often, they do not see themselves as such, even though they are making change and representing their communities.

Yet these leaders are an essential ingredient to the resiliency of a community. They help rebuild after crises, lift up new leadership and envision a future.

The Mental and Emotional Labor of Invisible Leadership

Leadership in America is often viewed as a formal, paid position, such as that of an elected official. But those working in leadership roles know that the work of community change is often in addition to a full-time job.

We heard from leaders, many of whom are women of color, who are exhausted and stressed. Many work full-time jobs. Yet they are often the people who really know what’s going on. Regina noted that often “formal” leaders (such as elected officials) do not understand the specific problems that many people face in the communities they represent.

For example, the Black women in Regina’s community experience an extremely high rate of breast cancer mortality – an issue that transcends the rural South, but was not widely known or discussed in the rural community in South Carolina where Regina resides.

Most community leaders are not paid and are often under-appreciated for their leadership work. There are still many unrecognized leaders who are at risk of burnout.

The narrative around what qualifies as leadership needs to change. We have seen a small shift recently with the 2020 presidential election. Stacy Abrams and her team have been celebrated for the work they did to register voters in Georgia – but even that narrative misses the collaborative effort of community leaders working collaborative to register and shift voter turnout.

Good Community Organizing Intentionally Develops Leaders

Community organizing is a field in its own right which often gets overlooked or is not associated directly with leadership development. Strong organizing hinges on well equipped local leaders, and good organizing groups integrate formal leadership training and ongoing feedback to leaders who are engaged in organizing campaigns.

Although this isn’t unique to the South, and there is organizing that is intentional about leadership development all over the country, it is important to recognize the role of organizing when we talk about rural leadership and what it means to the South.