Calling All Change Makers
Dear Friends,
Few of us could have imagined, when the world first began social distancing, that we'd still be wearing masks and moving cautiously through our social lives 20 months on. Nor could we have imagined that the cascade of grief and loss the pandemic set off in 2020 would persist into 2021.
Nevertheless, 2021 has brought its own moments of reckoning, notably the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and, in July, the most severe social unrest that South Africa has seen since the fall of apartheid. Just this past month, South Africa's basic service delivery—already strained in recent years—grew even weaker, leaving most people with limited electricity and water access. Local government elections, which were marked by populist rhetoric, saw low levels of political engagement. And when highly accomplished South African scientists discovered a new COVID-19 variant, countries across the global north responded by restricting travel to and from eight southern African countries instead of pooling resources and learning from the local researchers.
Recent elections in the U.S. were concerning too, particularly in Virginia, where Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin won the governor's seat on the right-wing, boogeyman narrative against critical race theory. And while three white Georgia men were convicted for murdering Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old unarmed Black man who was killed because of his skin colour, their conviction came nearly one week after the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, an 18-year-old white man who shot and killed two protestors and injured another during a social justice protest last year. Both instances harken back to age-old white vigilantism that is both practiced in communities across the country and remains imbedded in the U.S. legal system.
Against these odds, justice-minded people across sectors have rallied. In South Africa and the U.S., they are pushing against the forces that seek to limit the lives of people of colour. And they are envisioning a future free of these constraints and building the power that will bring us there.
They are championing climate justice and working through the fine details of access and regulation in digital technology and artificial intelligence. They are building the infrastructure for a world without policing, testing and strengthening alternatives that centre repair and restoration rather than punitive approaches to harm prevention. They are planting the seeds of resilient food systems, deepening power with rural women activists, and organising with domestic workers as they push for their work to be fully recognised and protected under labour law. They are doing the slow work of showing up again and again to advance change.
At AFRE, we get to support a network of such change makers and world-builders, those working to create solutions to the most complex problems that stem from anti-Blackness. Their commitment, creativity and curiosity fuel our confidence in a future where Black people and all people of colour can thrive.
We are excited to announce that, starting today, we're accepting applications for a new cohort of Fellows to join our growing, powerful community.
Each year, we journey with 20 change makers through our 18-month Fellowship experience. Fellows deepen their personal leadership and hone their analysis of how structural racism shapes our lives. Importantly, they cultivate community with one another, within and beyond national borders, subject matter areas, and change strategies.
Fellows receive a USD $10,000 stipend to support their participation in the programme, as well as opportunities to develop projects that strategically move the needle on racial equity in South Africa and the U.S.
We encourage change makers from diverse sectors and approaches to apply, including those working in areas less often associated with racial equity work, such as business, technology and economics, and government.
We look forward to learning about you,
The AFRE Team
Do you have questions about the Fellowship experience? Join one of four Q&As happening in December and January. AFRE staff and our Fellows will share insights about the Fellowship experience and application process. Click here to sign up.