Bannerman Fellowship
Encyclopedia
The Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is committed to advancing progressive social change by helping to sustain long-time activists of color. The program honors those who have devoted their lives to helping their communities organize for racial, social, economic and environmental justice
. The program provides resources for organizers to take sabbaticals for reflection and renewal. Since 1988, there have been 171 Fellows. They've worked on a broad range of issues from environmental justice to fair wages, from immigrant rights to native sovereignty, from political empowerment to economic revitalization. They are from 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Established in 1987, the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program was founded on the belief that the most effective approach to achieving progressive social change
is by organizing low-income people at the grassroots
level. Many elements contribute to a community organization's success, but none are more important than the vision, commitment, talent and hard work of its organizers and leaders. Yet few resources are available to support them and, as a result, too many experienced organizers "burn-out" and too few younger ones see organizing as a viable long-term profession. The Program's founders decided that a practical contribution to strengthening community organizing
would be to give organizers an opportunity to step back from their work for a period of reflection and renewal. They created the sabbatical program, now called the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program.
The program is named for Charles Bannerman had worked with Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE), an organization founded by Fannie Lou Hamer, Annie Devine and other local civil rights leaders and Dana Alston an activist who worked with the National Black United Fund
, the Southern Rural Women's Network, Rural America, TransAfrica Forum
and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
.
Environmental justice
Environmental justice is "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies." In the words of Bunyan Bryant,...
. The program provides resources for organizers to take sabbaticals for reflection and renewal. Since 1988, there have been 171 Fellows. They've worked on a broad range of issues from environmental justice to fair wages, from immigrant rights to native sovereignty, from political empowerment to economic revitalization. They are from 32 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Established in 1987, the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program was founded on the belief that the most effective approach to achieving progressive social change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
is by organizing low-income people at the grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
level. Many elements contribute to a community organization's success, but none are more important than the vision, commitment, talent and hard work of its organizers and leaders. Yet few resources are available to support them and, as a result, too many experienced organizers "burn-out" and too few younger ones see organizing as a viable long-term profession. The Program's founders decided that a practical contribution to strengthening community organizing
Community organizing
Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. A core goal of community organizing is to generate durable power for an organization representing the community, allowing it to influence...
would be to give organizers an opportunity to step back from their work for a period of reflection and renewal. They created the sabbatical program, now called the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program.
The program is named for Charles Bannerman had worked with Mississippi Action for Community Education (MACE), an organization founded by Fannie Lou Hamer, Annie Devine and other local civil rights leaders and Dana Alston an activist who worked with the National Black United Fund
National Black United Fund
The National Black United Fund is an African-American charity. It aims to collect funds from the black community and use it to support black development. It was founded in Delaware in 1972 and first led by Walter Bremond...
, the Southern Rural Women's Network, Rural America, TransAfrica Forum
TransAfrica Forum
TransAfrica Forum is an advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. that seeks to influence the foreign policy of the United States concerning African countries and the African diaspora.-See also:* Diaspora politics in the United States...
and the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy
The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy , established in 1976 and based in Washington, DC, is a privately-funded non-profit organization that conducts research on and advocates for greater accountability, transparency and a focus on social justice in the philanthropic sector...
.