Rooted & Rising Tour
Reconnecting Communities. Cultivating Leaders. Growing a Movement.
The Rooted & Rising Tour is a multi-city journey introducing communities across the South, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast to the Rustin Institute for Leadership Development and inviting individuals, organizations, corporations, and foundations to help cultivate the next generation of leaders through the Bayard Rustin Society.
More than a speaking tour, Rooted & Rising is a celebration of the people, places, and institutions that have shaped Executive Director Tim'm West's lifelong commitment to education, democracy, youth leadership, and justice. Each stop represents an opportunity to reconnect with communities that invested in his growth while sharing how those experiences culminated in the launch of the Rustin Institute—a national nonprofit inspired by Bayard Rustin's conviction that "we need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers."
The tour officially began in Houston on July 24th, a city that played a transformative role in Tim'm's journey through institutions including Houston Community College, Rice University, the St. Hope Foundation's Fusion Center, The Men's Gathering, and The Front Porch. What was intended as a homecoming quickly became something much larger. The warmth, encouragement, and enthusiasm of friends, former students, colleagues, and new supporters reaffirmed that communities are hungry for a different conversation—one rooted not simply in today's challenges, but in tomorrow's leaders. That evening became a courageous call to carry Bayard Rustin's vision beyond a single city and to continue spreading the good news of "angelic troublemakers" across the country.
Each Rooted & Rising gathering reflects that spirit. Through intimate conversations featuring young innovators, nonprofit leaders, educators, artists, entrepreneurs, and community builders, the tour explores how mentorship, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, creativity, and intergenerational collaboration can strengthen our democracy and create more just and inclusive communities. Every conversation reminds us that leadership is not reserved for those with titles or positions of power—it belongs to anyone willing to invest in others and organize for the common good.
The tour also serves as the public introduction to the Bayard Rustin Society, the Rustin Institute's national philanthropic community. Inspired by Bayard Rustin's belief in collective action, the Society brings together individuals, families, foundations, corporations, and civic leaders who understand that lasting change requires sustained investment. Their generosity helps expand leadership development opportunities for young people while establishing vibrant local chapters that continue fostering mentorship, civic engagement, and community long after the tour has moved on.
Whether you're reconnecting with an old friend, discovering the Rustin Institute for the first time, or searching for meaningful ways to invest in the future, Rooted & Rising is an invitation to become part of something larger than any one event or any one city. Together, we can build communities where every generation has something to teach, every young person has someone who believes in them, and every city is home to its own community of Bayard Rustin's angelic troublemakers.
What We're Building Together
Every stop on the Rooted & Rising Tour is designed to leave more than inspiration behind. Together, we are:
Growing the Bayard Rustin Society as a national philanthropic community investing in courageous, intergenerational leadership.
Building local chapters that foster mentorship, civic engagement, and lifelong community.
Cultivating partnerships with corporations, foundations, educational institutions, and civic organizations committed to democracy and leadership development.
Celebrating young leaders whose ideas, entrepreneurship, research, creativity, and advocacy are already transforming their communities.
Honoring Bayard Rustin's legacy by ensuring that every community has its own generation of "angelic troublemakers" prepared to organize, lead, and build a more just future.
Because we are rooted in the communities that shaped us—and we rise by investing in the communities that will shape tomorrow.
Will you join me?
Rooted & Rising events are intentionally intimate gatherings of 25–50 participants. We believe transformative conversations aren't measured by attendance, but by the relationships they create. Each gathering brings together as many as five generations of leaders—from emerging changemakers to seasoned mentors—to continue the intergenerational leadership tradition that Bayard Rustin so powerfully embodied. Space is limited to encourage meaningful dialogue. To request an invitation, email info@rustininstitute.org and share why you'd like to be part of the conversation.
August
Rooted in Charlotte, Rising Together
An Intergenerational Conversation on Leadership, Entrepreneurship, and Belonging.
Charlotte has long been known as the Queen City. As someone who grew up in another Queen City—Cincinnati—I've always felt a special connection here. While I never called Charlotte home, I've watched with admiration as it has become one of the South's most dynamic examples of what is possible when innovation, diversity, entrepreneurship, and community are allowed to grow together.
That spirit makes Charlotte a fitting stop on the Rooted & Rising Tour.
Inspired by Bayard Rustin's belief that "we need, in every community, a group of angelic troublemakers," this evening brings together remarkable young people and accomplished leaders whose work demonstrates that meaningful change begins with imagination, mentorship, and the courage to act.
Together we'll explore what it means to lead across generations, challenge systems that exclude, create businesses and organizations rooted in purpose, and invest in communities where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Featuring youth entrepreneurs, nonprofit founders, educators, advocates, and leadership coaches, this conversation reflects the very future the Rustin Institute seeks to cultivate: one where age is not a barrier to leadership, difference is recognized as a strength, and every generation has something essential to teach the next.
As the Rustin Institute continues building Bayard Rustin Society chapters across the country, we're excited to introduce our work to Charlotte and invite the Queen City to help shape a national movement grounded in courageous leadership, democratic participation, and collective action.
Whether you're joining us as an educator, entrepreneur, student, parent, philanthropist, or community leader, we hope you'll leave inspired—not only by what our panelists are building, but by what we can build together.
Featured Conversation
Dhruv Aggarwal — Founder of Neuro-Nurture and author of Wiggly Noodles, Roaring Dinosaurs: Different Is Awesome
Navya Jagarlamudi — Founder & CEO, Baking A Change
Anaya Young — Co-Founder, Black Girl Democracy
Nathan Barnes — Rustin Institute Summer Intern
Mario Jovan Shaw — Founder, Messy Roots; former Co-Founder of Profound Gentlemen; leadership coach and storyteller
Rooted & Rising NYC:
An Intergenerational Conversation Inspired by the Legacy of Bayard Rustin
Long before the Rustin Institute for Leadership Development became a reality, New York City helped shape the values that inspired its creation. From working as a housing justice intern in Harlem in 1991 to pursuing graduate studies at The New School between 1996 and 1998, Executive Director Tim'm West found in New York a community that deepened a lifelong commitment to human rights, education, and intergenerational leadership.
As the city prepares to celebrate Black Pride, join Tim'm for an intimate evening of conversation introducing the Rustin Institute's vision and inviting New Yorkers to help write its next chapter.
Joining Tim'm will be Walter Naegle, Bayard Rustin's longtime partner and Advisor to the Rustin Institute; and panelists: Nhan Truong, Ph.D., Director of Research, Evaluation, and Curriculum for the Rustin Institute's National Youth Advocacy Corps; Jennifer Barnes Balenciaga, Acting Director of the Rustin Institute's Equity Shall Prevail (ESP) Fellowship; Krithik Devarajan, Founder of Autistic Creatives and member of 2025-26 Cohort of the Rustin Institute's National Youth Advocacy Corps (NYAC) Fellowship, and Rusna Kaur and Troy Stevenson-House of the 2026-27 NYAC Cohort. We will also have a special presentation by Colin Cooney about The People's Canvas-- a project connecting NYC murals to social justice education.
Together, these voices span generations, identities, and lived experiences while exploring a question at the heart of Bayard Rustin's legacy:
How do we build movements where wisdom is shared, young leaders are trusted, and every generation leaves the next stronger than it found it?
Whether you have known Bayard Rustin's story for decades or are discovering it for the first time, this evening is an invitation to become part of a growing community committed to leadership, belonging, and the unfinished work of human rights. Learn more about the Rustin Institute, connect with fellow changemakers, and discover how you can help establish one of the nation's strongest Bayard Rustin Society chapters right here in New York City.
July
Rooted in Houston: Rising Together
July 24, 2026 | 5:30pm-7:30pm
The evening featured an intergenerational conversation with Cory George, mental health specialist, JAPAN, Hip Hop artist and organizer as well as cofounder of Pink Elephant Festival and community leader; and Amirah Brown and Rhea Morani, members of the Rustin Institute's National Youth Advocacy Corps. Together, they explored how leadership is cultivated across generations, why investing in young people matters, and how communities can continue Bayard Rustin's legacy by creating spaces where courage, justice, and belonging flourish.
Guests reconnected across generations, forged new relationships, and learned how the Rustin Institute is developing courageous leaders committed to strengthening democracy, advancing justice, and building community. The evening also highlighted the Institute's growing partnership with young people in Houston and across the country, offering a glimpse of the work ahead and inviting attendees to help build a thriving Houston chapter of the Bayard Rustin Society.