Emerging leadership from communities in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD)

Authors: KENNEDY, BETTY - PENNINGTON BIO MED CTR; LAIN, JOSIE - DELTA NIRI; BAKER, BESSIE - DELTA NIRI; PREWITT, T - UAMS; WARREN, DEMETRIC - DELTA NIRI; SIMS, DIANNE - DELTA NIRI; THREADGILL, PAULA - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV; YADRICK, KATHY - UNIV SO MISSISSIPPI; CHAMPAGNE, CATHERINE - PENNINGTON BIO MED CTR; MCGEE, BERNESTIVE - SOUTHERN UNIV AND A&M; STRICKLAND, EARLINE - DELTA NIRI; McCabe Sellers, Beverly; Bogle, Margaret

Submitted to: Journal of Rural Community Psychology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/21/2009
Publication Date: 8/1/2009
Citation: Kennedy, B.M., Lain, J.D., Baker, B.L., Prewitt, T.E., Warren, D., Sims, D., Threadgill, P., Yadrick, K., Champagne, C., Mcgee, B.B., Strickland, E., McCabe Sellers, B.J., Bogle, M.L. 2009. Emerging leadership from communities in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD). Journal of Rural Community Psychology. E12(1).

Interpretive Summary: The Delta NIRI team has collaboratively conducted several research interventions in the LMD region employing the community-based participatory research (CBPR) model. Our success in three communities across three states [Arkansas (Marvell NIRI), Louisiana (Franklin NIRI), and Mississippi (Hollandale NIRI)] has been the result of emerging key community leaders, members, and organizations. They have assumed a lead role throughout the research process including conceptualizing and development of the research interventions, recruiting participants, data collection, hiring and training of staff to conduct the interventions, analyzing data, and presenting the research to various audiences. It is our hope that this commentary will further inform those pursuing research utilizing the CBPR model that community members are capable of emerging into leaders after empowering them with the resources at hand.

Technical Abstract: The Delta NIRI (Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative) team has conducted several research studies in the Lower Mississippi Delta (LMD) region employing the community-based participatory research (CBPR) model. Our collaborative work in the LMD focuses on interventions conducted in each of our communities across three states: Arkansas (Marvell NIRI), Louisiana (Franklin NIRI), and Mississippi (Hollandale NIRI). Our success in these communities has been the result of emerging key community leaders, members, and organizations assuming a lead role throughout the research process including development of the research interventions, recruiting participants, data collection, and hiring and training of staff to conduct the interventions. Research interventions conducted in Franklin NIRI, Hollandale NIRI, Marvell NIRI, and how leaders from each of these communities have emerged as a result of employing the CBPR approach is the focus of this commentary.