As we prepare to ring in 2024, The Faith and Politics Institute team reflects on the year behind us as we carry our work forward into the next chapter. At FPI we continue to think deeply about our impact and how we can act as a force for good. Throughout 2023, FPI prioritized engaging with Members of Congress, the changemakers of the historic Civil Rights Movement and the leaders of tomorrow to cultivate mutual respect, moral reflection, increased understanding and honest conversation to advance productive discourse and constructive collaboration.
In March of 2023, FPI, Members of Congress and their families, esteemed sponsors and participants of the John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows program embarked on our annual Congressional Civil Rights pilgrimage to Alabama. Throughout three transformative days in Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, historic locations at the heart of the Civil Rights Movement, the group engaged with the movements that shaped American history and initiated profound discussions on shared values and steps forward as a nation. Although the Honorable John R. Lewis is no longer with us, his legacy and spirit were carried throughout the pilgrimage as the minds of today and tomorrow congregated to chart a brighter path forward.
During 2023 we also welcomed the most recent (3rd!) cohort of the John Robert Lewis Scholars, Fellows & Leaders program. This impressive group of program participants enthusiastically stepped into their roles, learning hands-on from ambassadors, Civil Rights luminaries, and inspiring corporate executives while participating in FPI events and pilgrimages. They were busy exchanging knowledge, experiences, and perspectives with one another. Growing into a tight knit family over the course of the year, Cohort 3 continued to practice empathy, respect, and kindness with one another as they ventured through each stage of the program. Members of the group graduated with an elevated confidence in their abilities to make meaningful social impact and heightened skills that will allow them to be transformative change makers – leadership, integrity, responsibility, understanding, empathy, and critical thinking all within the framework of nonviolence as a way of life.
This reflection also adds to our excitement as we turn to the events and moments ahead in the new year. Our annual Congressional Civil Rights pilgrimage to Alabama takes place March 1-3 2024. Including Members of Congress, esteemed sponsors, social justice advocates and thought-leaders, the journey will again take participants through the landmarks and moments that shaped the Civil Rights Movement. Against the backdrop of American history, the pilgrimage both contends with our nation’s past as a deeply fractured country and celebrates our strides towards unity, respect, and equality.
In 2024 we welcome a new Cohort for the The John Robert Lewis Scholars, Fellows & Leaders Program. This group of students, scholars and corporate leaders will help carry forward the legacy of John Robert Lewis, championing the principles of nonviolent advocacy, moral leadership, mutual respect, and understanding that “we all have roles to play”. We look forward to the impact of Cohort 4 as they embark on the comprehensive program and step into their roles as advocacy champions and changemakers.
FPI eagerly welcomes the year ahead, steadfast in our commitment to fostering collaboration and mutual respect that fuels progress.