Rooted in Community: Leading Change from the Ground Up

The INS Group works alongside organizations driven by a core truth: real change happens when communities lead. This principle, rooted in Black-led organizing and advocacy, has shaped the nonprofit sector for generations. Two leaders who embodied this approach, Ella Baker and Dr. Beverly L. Wright, created enduring frameworks that still guide mission-driven work. As Ella Baker said, “Give light, and people will find the way.”

Ella Baker: “Strong People Don’t Need Strong Leaders”

Ella Baker was a master organizer whose fingerprints are all over the civil rights movement, even though her name may be less familiar than others. Working with the NAACP, helping to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and mentoring the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Baker championed a radical idea: the people most affected by injustice should be the ones shaping the solutions.

Her belief that “strong people don’t need strong leaders” turned traditional organizing on its head. Instead of centering charismatic figureheads, Baker invested in developing local leadership, grassroots campaigns, and creating participatory decision-making structures. She understood that sustainable change comes from communities equipped with knowledge, resources, and collective power, not from saviors.

“I have always thought what is needed is the development of people who are interested not in being leaders as much as in developing leadership in others.”~ Ella Baker

This philosophy lives on in organizations like the NC Black Alliance and Advance Carolina, both of which we are privileged to support through our consulting at The INS Group. The NC Black Alliance builds Black political power across North Carolina through civic engagement, policy advocacy, and leadership development—the kind of grassroots organizing Baker championed. Advance Carolina strengthens the nonprofit ecosystem by investing in community-based organizations, ensuring they have the capacity to create lasting change. Both recognize that power built from the ground up endures.

Dr. Beverly Wright: Health Equity as Environmental Justice

While Baker was transforming how we think about organizing, Dr. Beverly L. Wright was pioneering another critical connection: the link between environmental racism and health inequity. As founder of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Xavier University, Dr. Wright turned her attention to Louisiana’s Mississippi River Chemical Corridor, where predominantly Black communities faced devastating health consequences from industrial pollution. She understood that “the righteous fight in the end will win. Don’t be swayed by all of the noise.”

Dr. Wright’s work revealed how zip codes predict health outcomes, how environmental policy failures compound racial injustice, and how communities living with pollution are experts in their own experiences. She didn’t just study these communities—she worked alongside them, training community members to advocate for policy change and demand accountability from both industry and government.

“Any project that moves forward should be inclusive of three things: It will not harm communities. It will not contribute to the climate crisis. And it will not perpetuate racially disproportionate burdens of pollution. Any program that we bring in to solve the problem must have these three principles embedded in it so we don’t make the same mistakes.” ~ Dr. Beverly Wright

Her framework, which holds that health equity requires addressing environmental, economic, and social determinants, resonates powerfully with our work with the North Carolina Community Health Workers Association (NCCHWA). NCCHWA supports community health workers who serve as trusted bridges between healthcare systems and underserved populations. These community health workers understand what Dr. Wright knew: that addressing health disparities means looking beyond the clinic to the conditions in which people live, work, and raise families. They meet communities where they are, building trust and creating pathways to care that honor cultural knowledge and lived experience.

Why This Work Matters to Us

The INS Group’s consulting is grounded in partnership with organizations that share Baker and Dr. Wright’s core belief: those closest to the challenges are best positioned to lead change. Our work with the NC Black Alliance, Advance Carolina, and NCCHWA advances this community-led approach.

Ella Baker taught us that leadership development is organizing, and organizing is leadership development. Dr. Beverly Wright showed us that justice requires addressing root causes, not just symptoms. Both understood that real transformation happens when communities have power, resources, and the space to determine their own futures.

This is the work that drives us: solidarity, capacity built from within, and supporting communities as they lead lasting change.

The legacy of leaders like Ella Baker and Dr. Beverly Wright reminds us that the most powerful movements have always been led by those who refuse to wait for permission to fight for justice. We remain committed to equipping today’s organizations to keep building power; one community, one campaign, one victory at a time.