Purpose-Driven Leadership in Urban Policy: Community Resistance and Grassroots Organizing Amid Gentrification
Location
Hemmingson 310
Start Date
28-3-2026 10:10 AM
End Date
28-3-2026 11:00 AM
Description
Description: Urban revitalization has accelerated across the United States, often celebrated as progress while contributing to the displacement of long-standing residents and the erosion of cultural identity in historically Black neighborhoods. Utilizing a DuBosian lens, this study examines how everyday leaders within policy institutions and community-based organizations employ purpose-driven strategies to reduce displacement, preserve cultural identity, and promote community-centered development. Using a mixed methods approach drawing from urban sociology and public policy, the project analyzes how collective action, leadership practices, and place-based advocacy shape redevelopment processes and strengthen community agency in gentrifying spaces. Speaker Bio: Ryan Finner is a first-generation scholar completing a B.A. in Africana Studies with a minor in Cultural Psychology. His research examines Black community resilience, cultural preservation, and urban inequalities, and later this fall he plans to begin his PhD in Sociology focusing on Law and Social Control.
Recommended Citation
Finner, Ryan, "Purpose-Driven Leadership in Urban Policy: Community Resistance and Grassroots Organizing Amid Gentrification" (2026). Payne Center for Leadership Development Student Leadership Conference. 6.
https://repository.gonzaga.edu/payne_slc/2026/general/6
Purpose-Driven Leadership in Urban Policy: Community Resistance and Grassroots Organizing Amid Gentrification
Hemmingson 310
Description: Urban revitalization has accelerated across the United States, often celebrated as progress while contributing to the displacement of long-standing residents and the erosion of cultural identity in historically Black neighborhoods. Utilizing a DuBosian lens, this study examines how everyday leaders within policy institutions and community-based organizations employ purpose-driven strategies to reduce displacement, preserve cultural identity, and promote community-centered development. Using a mixed methods approach drawing from urban sociology and public policy, the project analyzes how collective action, leadership practices, and place-based advocacy shape redevelopment processes and strengthen community agency in gentrifying spaces. Speaker Bio: Ryan Finner is a first-generation scholar completing a B.A. in Africana Studies with a minor in Cultural Psychology. His research examines Black community resilience, cultural preservation, and urban inequalities, and later this fall he plans to begin his PhD in Sociology focusing on Law and Social Control.