Authentic community engagement is a critical element of health and equity-focused community development. You cannot create community change, without including the community itself. Though community voice has too often been overlooked – a challenge that perpetuates racial inequities and diminishes trust – community leaders are rising up, more than ever, to try to protect their community’s health and well-being. By listening to and learning from residents and committing to an ongoing, long-term community engagement process, developers, government representatives, and non-profit organizations can better understand the challenges, needs and assets of communities and more effectively and respectfully deploy services and resources to improve community health and well-being.