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One of the greatest tributes to Gale Cincotta after her death was being compared to linebacker by longtime colleague and NTIC co-founder, Shel Trapp. With her size and demeanor, Cincotta ran over, trampled and tackled anyone in her way.



Emira Palacios, Inez Killingsworth and Brenda LaBlanc make
up the new National People's Action Leadership team. Read on
to learn more about their history and their plans for the future.

As chairperson of National People's Action for the past three decades,
Cincotta is a lasting symbol of community power. She was the infamous woman from the Westside of Chicago who never received her high school diploma. And while raising six sons, she took on Congressmen, bankers, and presidents alike to change the nation and strengthen communities.

Together, NPA and Cincotta have won federal legislation and regulations, the only national grassroots organization in the country who've accomplished such a feat.
But Cincotta was never alone. She was part of a team. She always had a group of leaders backing her, learning from her and taking her knowledge and passion back into their own neighborhoods.

And now three of those leaders are ready and willing to take up where Cincotta left off. Cincotta always believed in elevating the power of women and thus three women from different backgrounds, but with the same beliefs now make up the NPA leadership team.

The following are their stories.

Inez Killingsworth
Stray dogs led Inez Killingsworth to National People's Action. And while the dogs may not have found their home, Killingsworth did.

In the early seventies, stray dogs were running around her Cleveland community causing so many problems, that children couldn't walk to school for fear of being attacked.

"Community organizers said they could change this, but I didn't believe we could fight City Hall," Killingsworth said. "And then I saw people banding together on one small issue and we won."

Killingsworth then asked herself that if they won on one small issue, what else could they do to help the neighborhood?

Killingsworth began a life-long campaign to ending redlining in her neighborhood with the East Side Organizing Project. Killingsworth attended NPA's first annual conference and brought her passion to strengthen communities to the national level.

"There were thousands of people. I was overwhelmed by all the people saying the same thing. I went back home and challenged local industry leaders and we became the first group in the country to get a CRA agreement."

After all the actions that Killingsworth has been on through NPA, she said it has been a transforming experience.

"This is it," Killingsworth stated. "This is how people can come together and win. And that's true to this day."

"I am part of a group that is carrying on a winning legacy that has been there a long time. That's an awesome responsibility."

Brenda La Blanc
Brenda LaBlanc's first experience with community organizing in Des Moines began with self-described, "amateurs." They had no plans, no goals and no demands. At her first action, LaBlanc was elected to speak at a public meeting at City Hall. La Blanc said she had no preparation time and she was scared to death to speak in public.

"But in the meeting I got so angry and carried away and everything poured out of me. And everyone applauded afterwards, because no one had done that in City Hall before. I learned I had a talent," LaBlanc said.

LaBlanc soon afterwards began attending planning meetings sponsored by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement on redlining. LaBlanc and her husband had been redlined over and over again by banks during the previous six months. And at these meetings, she heard similar stories from people across Des Moines.

"At first I was suspicious of Iowa CCI because I wondered 'what's their real agenda?' And then I realized that their agenda was whatever our agenda was."

LaBlanc and Iowa CCI went on to form the first reinvestment task force in Des Moines.

When LaBlanc attended her first NPA conference 22 years ago, she realized there were issues affecting people all over the country.

"I was awed by the things that people took on in D.C. It's one thing to talk to a local bank and another to storm the Federal Reserve."

"I'm proud to be a part of the team keeping NPA going," LaBlanc said.

Emira Palacios
Born into a poor family in Chihuahua, Mexico, Palacios said she faced her early years with low self-esteem, unable to speak up and stand up for herself. But throughout her life and work over the next few decades, Palacios has made an about face.

"I now see myself as someone able to get out, speak up. If I could come out of the shadows, everyone can do this. And to me, this is power," Palacios said.

Palacios has been involved with Sunflower Community Action, and their group Hispanos Unidos, since October of 2000, once she observed the organization's dedication to fighting for immigrant right's issues.

Like the rest of the country, the number of documented and undocumented immigrants coming into their community is rising dramatically and a majority of these new arrivals are Hispanics.

Palacios was an undocumented immigrant for 13 years before obtaining her resident's status.

When she heard about Hispanos Unidos, Palacios told herself she would attend one meeting and no more. After one planning meeting, Palacios found herself chairing a public meeting three days later.

"I have so many other things to do. I would say only one more meeting. But there I was, hooked again," Palacios said of her continued involvement with Sunflower and NPA.

Palacios' presence on NPA's leadership team rounds out a group of women and backgrounds

"I would like NPA to bring the word out and educate the public on the lives of hard-working immigrants," Palacios said. "Hispanics are a new face at NPA. There is so much we can do for this issue and Hispanics. It's important to show our presence as we join together with others in NPA to fight for our neighborhood."