Public Voices Fellowship on Racial Justice in Early Childhood (US)

The fellowship is designed to amplify groundbreaking ideas that answer the critical question: how do they build a world that is racially just for young children? It also strives to increase thought leadership opportunities for women and people of color, ensuring that their experiences and voices play a crucial role in the national discourse. The year-long fellowship will convene twenty thought leaders to write innovative and solution-focused op-eds that adhere reliably to the racial justice in early childhood discipline. The fellowship will provide exceptional support in leadership skills and writing conventions to this end.

The Public Voices Fellowship on Racial Justice in Early Childhood is a part of the OpEd Project’s prestigious national initiative to change who writes history. The curriculum allows fellows to investigate the process of building consensus, spreading ideas, changing minds, and shaping a new world.

Program Details

• The fellowship includes workshops and seminars, as well as one-on-one coaching by leading journalists and editors. All fellows will write a minimum of two opinions (“op-ed”) articles during the fellowship period. Attendance at all convenings for the duration of each convening is mandatory. One in-person convening and seminar will take place on October 17 & 18, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia. Applicants must be available for each convening and seminar date in order to apply and are expected to hold the respective dates open on their calendars upon submission of their application.
• Approximately 20 fellows per cohort
• One-year fellowship (9 months dedicated coaching + 3 months follow on support)
• Four discovery-based convenings designed to catalyze knowledge and outcomes
• Dedicated coaching and editing from top journalists
• Access to weekly journalist office hours and regular expert talks with media leaders

Cost Covered

• Fellows can receive need-based travel stipends. Travel stipends will cover room and board (hotel), transportation (flights, transfers, etc.), and complimentary registration for the NBCDI Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA.
• Fellows are strongly encouraged to attend the NBCDI Annual Conference, and the travel stipend will cover full conference registration. The fellowship will provide need-based travel stipends to allow the fellows participating in their organizational and professional development to utilize those resources if available.

Expectations

• They envision that every participant will produce at least two op-eds, which may include citations, op-eds, speech invitations, radio/TV appearances, and proposals for new initiatives or businesses. They expect that these published pieces will significantly accelerate the impact of the thought leaders, elevating them in the national discourse and building a thriving and connected community of diverse voices on systems change toward Racial Justice in Early Childhood.

Eligibility Criteria

• Fellows will be chosen through a competitive selection process. NBCDI is committed to building a diverse cohort. In building this group, they will consider a number of factors, including but not limited to gender, race/ethnicity, age, geography, area of expertise, work history, and experience as an agent of change. The fellowship is open to people 18 years or older, domiciled within the United States.
• They invite thought leaders who actively ideate solutions for racial injustices in early childhood. They believe in concrete ideas and encourage applicants who already have them to join them so that they can platform them in the national discourse. The ideal candidate will be able to identify a contemporary issue, connect it to a systemic problem, and offer an innovative solution that attends to both racial injustice and early childhood development.
• Applicants should be prepared to speak to NBCDI’s Eight Essential Outcomes for Black child development as benchmarks for achieving racial justice in early childhood more generally:
  • Is Born at A Healthy Weight
  • Attends A School That Affirms and Expands Them
  • Is Seen as A Child
  • Enjoys Meals with Vegetables
  • Breathes Clean Air and Drinks Clean Water
  • Has Books and Toys That Reflect Who They Are and Can Be
  • Hangs Out On a Safe and Appropriate Internet
  • Lives and Plays in a Safe Community.

For more information, visit NBCDI.