John Robert Lewis Leaders Program
About the Leaders Program
John Lewis never gave up and never gave in while promoting human dignity and striving to achieve the Beloved Community, “a more perfect union” to which our nation’s Founders and their heirs aspired. The same nonviolent philosophy that shaped the work of John Lewis and defined his advocacy for civil rights is shared in our program curriculum for social and interpersonal change that helps leaders better understand and reconcile the conflict in our lives and society.
In partnership with businesses and corporations across America, emerging leaders are identified by corporate leadership to participate in FPI’s John Robert Lewis Leaders program. The program’s objective is to build a nationwide network of leaders to organize with discipline and unity to create positive societal change based on the revolutionary nonviolent perspective that transformed the nation and the world toward freedom - the American Civil Rights Movement. Two parallel cohorts – John Robert Lewis Leaders and John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows – will work in a single program to cultivate an intergenerational transfer and exchange of wisdom, inspiration, and methods for action.
Program Outline for 2024 - 2025
Essential References: We will provide a list of selected references, which will provide historical, philosophical, and spiritual context to John Lewis’ leadership and that of some of his close contemporaries.
Oral History Project: One of the most meaningful parts of this program is the opportunity for every Leader to engage in an Oral History Project. The goal of this project is not only to connect more deeply into the work of people in our own communities, but to learn through their stories – the challenges, struggles, opportunities, and triumphs of those who have been engaged in creating positive societal change.
Alumni Network: Participation in a growing network of leaders and changemakers across the country
May, 2024: Virtual Orientation via Zoom
July 16 - 18, 2024: Washington, D.C. Opening Convocation
March 6 - 9, 2025: Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage
5 Virtual Sessions during the year: Conversations on racial, economic, and social inequities
Special guests - political leaders and subject matter ex- perts – invited to discuss the following the topics: Honoring the Dignity of Work; Addressing Health Disparities: Now and Beyond COVID-19; Redressing a History of Housing Inequities; Bridging the Rural and Urban Divides in America; and Recognizing the Legacy of Enslavement to Mass IncarcerationMid-July 2025: Washington, D.C. Closing Convocation
Register by Spring 2024: For more information about The Faith & Politics Institute and the John Robert Lewis Leaders Program, please contact Marisa Pryor, Director of Educational Programs at education@faithandpolitics.org.
