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The purpose of the study chronicled in this book was to amplify the voices of participants and their understanding of the empowerment process as experienced in a grassroots community-based agency. The results of the study indicated that the four main themes related to empowerment were spiritual focus, self-transformation, skills acquisition, and values clarification. An instrumental case study methodology was used to collect data. Data were gathered through individual interviews, participant observations, archival documents, and the researcher s field notes. Implications for research, education, and practice are included.

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Dr. Sharon Warren Cook is a scholar who has spent her career working to illuminate the experiences of those often disenfranchised by structural inequities and societal inequalities. She currently heads the Department of Sociology and Social Work at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina.

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