Terminology 

Rural 

There are many public and private agencies that define “rural.” For our purposes, rural is any place outside of a metropolitan area. Ultimately, we attempt to move past debate about the definition of rural and towards understanding the issues and opportunities that rural people, places, and economies face.

Rural communities struggle against a false narrative that they are homogenous and monolithic, whereas in reality, rural communities are diverse microcosms, shaped by unique cultures, resources, challenges, and opportunities. Only a small percentage (<6%) of rural people are farmers; most are employed by health systems, school systems, and private enterprise. America has always been a nation of people of various races, ethnicities, and identities. This has always been true in rural areas, too. 

“There is a very familiar, comfortable narrative about rural being land with no people and rolling fields, and being completely isolated. There are elements that are true… But there are people there. The people don’t all wear plaid, the people aren’t always on farms. There are folks who have a wide variety of experiences. And there are people of color… Rural is not this one thing.” – Calvin Allen, MDC

A Note About “Rural,” “Tribal,” and “Indigenous” 

Rural communities can include integrated or adjacent Indigenous Nations or Tribal communities. That said, Tribal leadership, when it is rural, is distinct from rural leadership. Tribal communities exist in rural as well as urban areas, and many Indigenous people move between rural, tribal, and urban settings on a regular basis. 

For clarity, we will refer primarily to “rural” throughout this report, inclusive of rural Indigenous leaders and communities, and call out Indigenous or Tribal leadership when the context is appropriate. 

“It is important to acknowledge that for Native people, tribal living is not the same as rural living, however rural living cannot exclude tribal living.” – Vanessa Roanhorse, Roanhorse Consulting

On “Leadership” and “Leadership Development”

RuraLead defines both leadership and its development broadly. Anyone can be a leader, and informal leadership roles are just as important as formal roles in rural communities. Rural leadership development occurs not only through formal programs and trainings, but also through community development efforts, mentoring, community organizing, advocacy, and capacity building. Changing the common perception of leadership not only makes it more accessible to all, but empowers those who may not recognize themselves as leaders.

Equity 

What is equity? In the simplest terms, it means fairness, which is not necessarily the same thing as equality. It’s not about everybody getting the same thing, it’s about everybody getting what they need in order to access opportunities to improve their situation. 

America’s national reckoning with race and equity has highlighted the need to create and adopt more rural models that foster diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice. When people cannot access opportunity due to historical oppression, generational poverty, race, age, sexual or gender identity, or a disability, the whole community cannot live up to its promise. When structural racism or other forms of discrimination exist, then the talents, skills, and hard work of many individuals cannot reach their potential. Leaders must work together to foster structural change so that equal opportunities can be provided to all. This requires approaches where rural equity work matches the cultures and contexts of rural. Further, marginalization in rural America goes beyond race; it extends to the LGBTQIA+ community, people living with a disability, etc.