Activists From South Africa and the United States Unite to Fight Anti-Black Racism

The Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity has chosen its second cohort of Atlantic Fellows — 20 leaders from across South Africa and the United States who are working to end anti-Black racism in the two countries. In New York City, the Fellows will work closely with faculty from Columbia University. In South Africa, they will conduct their work with the Nelson Mandela Foundation to engage in a series of dialogues around the history of Nelson Mandela’s leadership.

As Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity, leaders participate in transnational groups that build community and learn through structured dialogues, site visits and leadership trainings; guided webinar discussions that delve deeper into the topics that relate to the Fellows’ work; and partner with institutes that provide Fellows with foundational content in an academic setting. Fellows also receive individualized coaching and advice from professionals in their particular areas of focus or in their personal development. Fellows receive financial resources through a scholarship of $10,000 and additional project support of up to $10,000.

“The Atlantic Fellows Program for Racial Equity at Columbia University is a unique and important initiative that seeks to address and remedy two major concerns of our time — anti-Black racism and structural inequality,” said Farah Jasmine Griffin, the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature and African- American Studies at Columbia University. “The extraordinary group of activists and leaders bring a wealth of experience and thought to our campus, which is certain to benefit from their presence and interaction with our students and faculty. Columbia offers an especially rich environment for what is sure to be a mutually beneficial set of interactions.”