Most Black Americans know the history and the legacy of June 19, 1865, the day Union troops finally reached Galveston, Texas, announcing that enslaved people had been freed – a full two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The celebratory day, which became known as Juneteenth, became a federal holiday in 2021. At that time, only 37% of American adults knew what the holiday meant.

Throughout NeighborWorks America's history, one priority has been to ensure network organizations are governed by strong leaders who serve on their boards. This priority led to the development of NeighborWorks' Excellence in Governance (EIG) program, which is designed exclusively for community development and affordable housing nonprofits.

Marietta Rodriguez presented this speech at the 2024 National Interagency Community Reinvestment on March 7 as part of a session entitled “A New Landscape for Community Impact.” 

Imagine a neighborhood. ANY neighborhood. A neighborhood that you live in, a neighborhood that you grew up in or a neighborhood you've visited. 

People sometimes ask Dr. Bill McKinney, executive director of New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC), why he left anthropology, the field he studied in college and graduate school. His answer?  

"I didn't," he explains. "I'm an anthropologist every day. My goal was never to be an academic; my goal was to make change."  

While NeighborWorks America officially got its start 45 years ago, the first big NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) wasn't held until 1987, with the goal of offering affordable housing and community development staff a concentrated way to learn more about the things they knew — and the things they didn't. NeighborWorks' classes helped staff hone their skills and do more. So many people — 79,000 both inside the NeighborWorks network and out of it — have attended NTIs and stand-alone courses since NeighborWorks started keeping track in 2003.

While NeighborWorks America officially got its start 45 years ago, the first big NeighborWorks Training Institute (NTI) wasn't held until 1987, with the goal of offering affordable housing and community development staff a concentrated way to learn more about the things they knew — and the things they didn't. NeighborWorks' classes helped staff hone their skills and do more. So many people — 79,000 both inside the NeighborWorks network and out of it — have attended NTIs and stand-alone courses since NeighborWorks started keeping track in 2003.

If you were taking a country drive toward Vermont's Route 5, a highway that traces the path of the Connecticut River, you'd have to choose your direction. Would you go south toward Bellows Falls? Or drive north instead? 

Public health leader Natalie S.

Public health leader Natalie S.