Leah Hargrove's Journey of Inclusion in Advocacy

By Éloge Willy Kaneza

Veteran Amjambo reporter Éloge Kaneza talked with Ladder to the Moon Network’s new Executive Director and offers this personal profile of Leah Hargrove.

Leah Hargrove’s path into community advocacy began long before Maine. Growing up in a diverse community in North Carolina, she was attuned to differences in culture, language, and experience. “I majored in international studies in French. My intention was to go live and work abroad in the Francophonie,” she recalled. “But we ended up in North Dakota, which is this very homogenous community. I wasn’t expecting to feel like an outsider. … And I realized right away that if this was tough for me, this would be really tough for my friends who are not Christian, my friends who are not white, my friends who don’t speak English.”

It was this realization that sparked her first foray into organized advocacy. Through mentorship, education, and hands-on engagement, she helped transform North Dakota communities into welcoming spaces for refugees and immigrants. Over time, her small initiative grew into Global Neighbors, a refugee resettlement agency and advocacy organization.

“Community and the idea of being a good neighbor is really important to me,” Hargrove said. “Ultimately, how do we have communities for everyone? And everyone belongs.”

Taking the helm of Ladder to the Moon

Hargrove said her leadership philosophy is grounded in empathy and listening. “If you’re going to lead well in a diverse space, you have to listen a lot, and the listening has to happen in places that belong to other people,” she explained. “Throughout my work at Global Neighbors, I was in people’s homes or in their community bases, putting myself [there] as an outsider who didn’t understand the language so that they could say what they needed to say in the best way they could.”

This philosophy is already shaping her approach at Ladder to the Moon, the nonprofit founded by Georges Budagu Makoko. With an understanding that Maine’s communities are facing new challenges amid shrinking funding, Hargrove is determined to fill gaps in ways that are responsive and meaningful. “I want us to go find the holes that exist in the community that the community says they want filled. And I want us to see if we can fill them,” she said.

“It’s really an honor because Georges Budagu Makoko has done incredible work in the past decade, and he has big shoes to fill,” Hargrove said. Ladder to the Moon Network is the nonprofit organization that houses Amjambo Africa, the news division that was co-founded by Kathreen Harrison and Budagu.

“Thankfully, he’s not leaving. I feel very much that he’s still leading the organization and I have his support, but the fact that he trusts me to continue and expand his work in Maine really makes me proud. I’m excited. I’m also excited because this is a period of great change and growth in the organization, and in the community. And I want to see how our team can meet those needs. So it’s a little scary, but in a way that feels like change in a good way.”

Hargrove is also a mother of three children, ages 12, 9, and 6, and she balances her professional responsibilities with nurturing a family.

Her excitement is palpable, but it is tempered with a sense of responsibility. She knows that stepping into leadership is never merely about holding a title – it is about listening, learning, and building bridges where they are most needed.

Expanding perspectives, bridging divides

Hargrove’s time at Global Neighbors taught her the value of co-leadership and diverse teams. “There was a lot of strength in having a very diverse team of ages, backgrounds, and languages. I’m going to bring that experience here because I know this organization is about to grow and we’re going to have to think about what new perspectives and what new skills we need.”

For Hargrove, inclusion is not merely about inviting people to the table – it’s about recognizing that not all tables are built the same way. “Real inclusion, not token inclusion, is a constantly evolving dance,” she said. “It involves having lots of people dancing at the same time. And for me, as a leader, it means I have to listen a lot.”

Bridging local and immigrant communities

Her vision for Ladder to the Moon also extends beyond organizational growth; it is about bridging communities. Drawing on her experience in North Dakota, she emphasized that immigrants are often misperceived as “needy” when in reality, with access to resources, they thrive and give back.

In Maine, Hargrove aims to build trust with community leaders, recognizing that true impact requires collaboration. “If I can build their trust, and they can tell me what their communities need, and we can address those needs at Ladder to the Moon, I think the trust of the communities will follow.”

Hargrove’s professional journey has not been without challenges. Nonprofit leadership can be grueling, fraught with administrative burdens and the weight of responsibility. Yet her motivation is deeply personal. “What keeps me motivated is … I feel like I owe a debt to the people who became my family in North Dakota. … They gave me so much in terms of welcome, way more than I could have given them.”

Legacy and vision

Looking ahead, Hargrove envisions a legacy not centered on herself, but on the enduring impact of the organization. “If 10 years from now, I can look back and say, I’ve done my job really well, it will be that everybody in Maine knows Ladder to the Moon, and our reputation is stellar. Ideally, my name won’t need to be involved at all as part of the legacy. … Sustainable is an organization that has consistent values and consistent practices.”

In her own life, balance and renewal come from nature. On weekends, she explores Maine’s forests, rivers, and coastline with her family. “Being in nature is always really helpful. … It’s good for us to get out and be part of creation and remember that even the biggest problems at work are probably not big problems eternally.”

Message of belonging

Hargrove’s vision culminates in a message for newcomers to the United States, a message rooted in hope, possibility, and belonging. She recalls a story from her father about an Ethiopian optometrist who left a stable career in Italy to drive a taxi in Washington, D.C. The man told her father, “I lived in Italy for 20 years and I would never become an Italian. But here I can become an American.”

“For me,” Hargrove reflected, “that story reminds me that you don’t have to be here for generations to belong. The dream opens up as soon as you get here. It’s my role to make that dream reachable for people and to help them reach it faster through good education and good information. You can belong here. You can be one of us. And you don’t have to wait many generations for it to happen.”