Washington, D.C.— The Memorial Foundation (TMF), builders of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, announces its inaugural class of the Social Justice Fellows Program, a part of the Foundation’s commemoration of the Martin Luther King Memorial’s 10th anniversary. Fifty young leaders from across the country will convene virtually for eight weeks over the summer with a curriculum centered around advocacy, community organizing and public policy in order to build a community of support with like-minded leaders explore high impact practices that move communities from consumers of a movement to activism and develop an understanding of leadership for long-term sustainable community change.
“With the goal of transforming protest to policy, the challenges of today require a new generation of bold leadership,” said Harry E. Johnson Sr., President and CEO of The Memorial Foundation.
We have found the very best young leaders who embody and will inspire others to follow Dr. King’s principals of democracy, justice, hope and love. We designed the Social Justice Fellows program to help the participants grow in their ability to pursue Dr. King’s vision of equality and we are thrilled about the potential of our first class of fellows.
The Fellows Program will feature four key components: a distinguished lecture series; a personal learning journey to focus on a key area of interest and practical application; a capstone project focused on building a movement for a current issue at the local, regional or national level; and concluding with, for those who complete the full program, a concluding program in Washington, D.C. for an in-person Congressional component of the Fellowship focusing on social justice and public policy. Acclaimed journalist Roland S. Martin will host the distinguished lecture series for the Fellows Program, which will feature dialogue with national leaders including Marc Lamont Hill, Angela Rye, and Dr. Jelani Cobb. At the conclusion of the program, the fellows will have new experiences and skills they can take back to communities to assist them in creating positive change.
Sponsors of the Social Justice Fellows program include: Centene, Amazon AWS, Wells Fargo, PVH, General Motors, Northrop Grumman, National Association of Realtors, Cross River Bank, Ford Motor Fund, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, T-Mobile, White & Case, Discovery, Raytheon, and Macy’s.
The 2021 Social Justice Fellows include:
- Reilly Loayza- Los Angeles, California
- Jennifer Early- Richmond, California
- Damani Douglas- West Hartford, Connecticut
- Riley Jones- Washington, D.C.
- Kimberly Allen- Jacksonville, Florida
- Brandon Cooper- Naples, Florida
- D’Bria Bradshaw- North Miami Beach, Florida
- Marie Rattigan- Tallahassee, Florida
- Devan Vilfrard- Tallahassee, Florida
- Onexia Thompson- Grayson, Georgia
- James Mendez-Chicago, Illinois
- Shyama Bhatt- Gurnee, Illinois
- Derrick Lathan- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Ada Goodly- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Tevon Blair, Hyattsville, Maryland
- Rahel Petros- Laurel, Maryland
- Emanuel Yisreal- Owings Mills, Maryland
- Abigail Johnson- Silver Spring, Maryland
- Alexandria Washington- Silver Spring, Maryland
- Alexis Farmer- Detroit, Michigan
- Brooke Harris- Detroit, Michigan
- Frank Romo- Detroit, Michigan
- Daniel Ogunyemi- Springfield, Missouri
- Alexandra Drakeford- Huntersville, North Carolina
- Stephanie Reyes- Brooklyn, New York
- Christopher Burton- Stony Brook, New York
- Christian Coleman- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Rico Smith- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Treniya Bronaugh – Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
- Dominique Branson – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Tadean Page-Rock Hill, South Carolina
- Delaney Fisher-Cassiol- Franklin, Tennessee
- Terrance Brown- Memphis, Tennessee
- Timothy Hughes- Madison, Tennessee
- Dominique Brown-Washington- Arlington, Texas
- Joseph Ulloa- Buda, Texas
- Sean Reed- Dallas, Texas
- Erika Manuel- Euless, Texas
- Diana Lopez- El Paso, Texas
- Kaylyn Hill- Frisco, Texas
- Reuben Griffin- Garland, Texas
- Eric Washington- Houston, Texas
- Joshua Wollen- Houston, Texas
- Taylor Cowan- Houston, Texas
- Jasmin Jones- Houston, Texas
- Edidiong Obot- Houston, Texas
- Ray Shackelford- Houston, Texas
- Cameron Oglesby- Midlothian, Virginia
- Geoffrey Preudhomme- Roanoke, Virginia
- Riley Burton- Seattle Washington
If you are interested in conducting an interview with a Social Justice Fellow, or with a spokesperson from The Memorial Foundation, please contact Abigail Kelly at akelly@susandavis.com.
