The Humanity in Action journey begins with a year-long Fellowship
2017 John Lewis Fellowship - USA
The John Lewis Fellowship Conference 2021
In 2021, Humanity in Action presented a virtual gathering inspired by civil rights icon John Lewis and movement-makers of the past and present. Since its beginning, unapologetic has been the capstone convening of the John Lewis Fellowship program. The four-day event featured performances, talks, films screenings and a public commemoration with goals to gain knowledge, memorialize the legacy of John Lewis and re-connect the global network of the program’s Senior Fellows.
Placing Atlanta’s human rights realities into the context of the Civil Rights Movement and grassroots solidarities
Balancing Arts Ent. LLC, John Lewis at the Center for Civil and Human Rights, 2015
Unique in its long commitment to slavery, “The South” has a distinctive role in the making of America. The region also has a richly-layered cultural landscape and is home to vibrant traditions of organized resistance and progressive politics. For all its exceptionalism, the complexities of race, class, culture, and conflict in the American South reflect the very soul of US society. Atlanta, an important Southern battleground of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, has been an especially poignant site for contemplating America’s troubled racial past, and importantly, for setting the course toward a redemptive future.
From 2015 until 2020, the John Lewis Fellowship in Atlanta, in partnership with the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, explored the regional experiences, cultures, and institutions of the American South through different thematic lens ever year. The 2020 Fellowship, “Just Justice,” illuminated strategies of allyship and unified action for advancing social equity and racial justice. Fellows left Atlanta better equipped to examine structural oppression and internalized prejudice from different standpoints—bringing lessons of leadership and coalition-building into their own future professional and activist work.
Senior Fellow Ianne Fields Stewart was recognized by Out Magazine as one of the organizers and speakers of the Black Trans Lives Matter/Brooklyn Liberation protest that drew over 15,000 individuals.
John Lewis Fellow Jasmine Rashid writes about the complicity of financial systems in the United States in exploiting black people and how activists can learn to avoid supporting these systems.
Humanity in Action deeply mourns the death of Representative John Lewis who imparted inspiration, wisdom, moral leadership and courage for so many throughout the United States and the world. For six years, the Atlanta-based annual John Lewis Fellowship followed his exhortations and mandate to study, understand and promote social justice.
After the month in Atlanta, our Fellows developed impactful Action Projects in their own communities.
For the eleven months following their time in Atlanta, Fellows worked on their Action Project: an independent venture focused on promoting democratic values in their own communities. Action Projects were as diverse as Humanity in Action Fellows. Fellows applied their new knowledge and perspectives to their communities—in whatever format they found meaningful. Throughout the Fellowship, Action Projects came under the form of documentaries, arts festivals, and new organizations that continue to serve the public good.
Every year, John Lewis Fellows created group projects and shared reflective pieces on their experience in the program.
In 2020, Fellows of the Humanity in Action John Lewis Fellowship prepared final presentations on their experiences and learnings from the four-week program.
In 2019, Fellows of the Humanity in Action John Lewis Fellowship prepared final presentations on their experiences and learnings from the four-week program.
We thank our supporters and partners, Senior Fellows, and friends of Humanity in Action. These contributions have helped to prepare outstanding students for a lifelong commitment to civic responsibility and the promotion of human rights.
Every year, new Humanity in Action Fellows come together in five cities across Europe and the United States to study how and why people confront intolerance and protect democratic values.
