The US South is often characterized as a region on the rise, an area with an expanding population, a growing magnet for educated workers, a place with a business-friendly mindset, and an area with increasing influence in national political circles. Often left unsaid are the less endearing features of the South. They include areas with stubbornly high rates of poverty, lower educational attainment, major health disparities, strained race and ethnic relations, high levels of economic distress, and a persistent outflow of talent. In many respects, these conflicting images of the South are the product of geography. That is, many of the positive attributes of the South are typically associated with the region’s metropolitan areas, while the less attractive aspects of the region are commonly linked to the region’s nonmetropolitan areas.
Despite these contrasting views of the South, this special issue of Community Development embraces a simple message about the state of affairs in the rural South, namely one of “hope.” The series of articles showcased in this volume are a testament to the positive work that can be realized when people from all walks of life are accorded the opportunity to discuss, deliberate, and act on strategies designed to improve the lives of rural people and places in the South. The message is clear; when local residents are provided a safe space to weigh in on local issues and asked to give respectful consideration to the views of others in their community, they create pathways for spurring positive changes. Simply put, civic engagement propels people to do more for their community and instills in them a sense of hope of what can be accomplished when you work together.
This issue highlights the experiences of an array of high poverty communities in the rural South that accepted the invitation to be part of the Turning the Tide on Poverty (Tide) initiative. While history would suggest that impoverished places have limited capacity to make good things happen, Tide demonstrated otherwise. The program operated under the premise that when local people are given a chance to step up, they can become the architects of positive change, regardless of the socioeconomic standing of their communities.
While improvements spotlighted in this special issue may be viewed by some as insufficient to the overall economic wellbeing of the community, it was community development work at its best. Tide provided a foundation upon which new citizen-driven efforts could be built in these communities. These foundational features included the rise of confident residents with the capacity to speak on their own behalf and on the behalf of people often left on the sidelines, the banding together of individuals and groups cooperating to create and expand programs and services targeted at the economically disadvantaged members of the community, and the emergence of community champions who could catalyze people to collaborate in tackling difficult community issues. Moreover, Tide demonstrated the vital role that Cooperative Extension Service agents and educators can play as neutral conveners and coaches of more inclusive and democratic processes, as well as interpreters and translators of the mix of information, education, and technical assistance that local groups need to advance their capacity to act.
In many respects, Tide is a prime example of a program that embraced the Community Development Society’s “principles of good practice.” It promoted inclusion, created an environment where a diverse group of local residents could better understand the nature of poverty and act on strategies to tackle this and other related problems; it helped uncover the hidden talents of many residents; and, it put in place the building blocks for sustaining their positive community work over the long term. The capacity they developed to address difficult problems together, is what turns hope into action. No doubt, these are the attributes that build brighter futures.
Lionel J. Beaulieu
Purdue University
Alice Diebel
The Charles F. Kettering Foundation