Washington, D.C. — The Memorial Foundation (TMF) has extended the deadline to June 15 for the Social Justice Fellows Program’s second class, which is designed to inspire young leaders and provide training to help them advance their efforts to achieve long lasting justice and racial equity. Fellows selected for the program will participate in an eight-week long curriculum that centers on advocacy, community organizing, learning, and public policy to creatively leverage the unique experiences of each Fellow.
The program is divided into four key components that will give the Fellows the tools they need to better achieve change at the local and national level:
- A distinguished lecture series rooted in democracy, justice, hope, and love, MLK Jr’s and TMF’s core tenets.
- A self-guided learning journey to focus on an area of personal interest to discover how to apply the knowledge they have gained practically and strengthen collaboration with other Fellows.
- Fellows will develop and present a proposal for building a movement on an issue impacting a local, regional, or national community.
- Fellows who successfully completes the program will be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to participate in a Congressional visit designed to provide a space to engage with members of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate on issues of social justice and public policy.
“The challenges of today require a new generation of bold leadership, and a host of young leaders are ready to carry the mantle. The Social Justice Fellows Program was created to invest in the development of our future leaders, and encourage the commitment to democracy, justice, hope, and love that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated in his pursuit for equality. We are excited to welcome our second class of Fellows,” said Harry E. Johnson Sr., President and CEO of The Memorial Foundation.
The Fellows Program’s educational component builds on eight key themes:
- Building Social Change Movement
- Media Engagement and Influence
- Lessons in Systemic Racism
- Building a Plan for Public Office
- The Power of Narrative & Storytelling Work
- Self-Care in the Midst of the Movement
- Politics and Social Movements
- Managing Contradictions
The eight-week fellowship program — open to emerging leaders who exhibit a steadfast commitment to social justice — will convene virtually in summer 2022. The priority application deadline is 11:59 p.m. CT on June 15, however applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the full cohort is selected. To learn more about the Social Justice Fellows Program, please visit thememorialfoundation.org/mlk/social-justice-fellows-program or email David Lewis at dlewis@thememorialfoundation.org.
