Leadership in This Moment of Crisis

Dear Friends,

As we begin another week in these uncertain times, I hope you are healthy and safe.

The spread of COVID-19 across the globe has laid bare the racialised inequalities that exist in our social systems. We’re seeing the disproportionate impact on Black people and communities of colour, from the elderly with health conditions to those who lack access to clean water, sanitation, medical care and jobs that provide financial security.
 
Now more than ever is the time for leadership based in values of compassion and visions of justice.

Over the past few weeks, our team has been in contact with our Atlantic Fellows to find out how they, their families, and communities are doing in the midst of this crisis. I’ve been inspired and humbled by their leadership in responding to this moment.
 
As governments shut down borders to stop the spread of the virus, our Fellows are demonstrating the power of transnational solidarity. They are seizing the opportunity to envision and press for a better world, from calls for universal basic income to developing resources for Black people in Chicago’s informal economy, and providing housing for the elderly in the rural Eastern Cape.

View a selection of our Fellows' responses so far. And follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook to learn more about our Fellows and actions you can take in your communities. We're amplifying their efforts and calls to action in real time.

At AFRE, we believe change happens when we leverage our individual leadership toward a collective goal. When we resist efforts to pit us against each other, and instead, lean in together to plant the seeds for a future of interdependence and equity. The need for this type of leadership has never been greater.

We will get through this, together.

In solidarity,

Kavitha Mediratta
Executive Director