Eisenhower Fellowships Expands the Knowledge of Eleven Leaders

By Zola Mennis

Beginning this September, Eisenhower Fellowships hand selected eleven impactful figures to attend an extended trip to expand and gain further knowledge on embedded and historical racism that has been interlaced in our society since the beginning of time. The figureheads are from different fields such as law enforcement, medicine, bioscience, academia, finance, education and civic engagement.

“Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just,” according to the Fellows’ founding mission. The participants on this educational trip are working towards specific goals that advance the core justice pillar of the mission statement.

Each individual is given the title of EE Justice Fellow. Each Fellow strives to challenge and inspire leaders around the world and share President Eisenhower’s belief in powerful possibilities. One member embodying this spirit in their work is Jermaine Harris, a high ranked police sergeant in the Chicago police department. According to Eisenhower Fellowships, he is looking to explore how overseas police departments respond to use-of-force incidents. The organization has also chosen Rachel Conrad, a professional in the psychology field, along with Reginald Streater, a Philadelphia School Board member. 

Eisenhower Fellowships noted that each EE Justice Fellow was chosen because they are individuals who are “hungry to advance their personal and professional growth, who can articulate how they can use the fellowship to product impactful change and who commit to lifelong engagement with the organization and its Fellows around the world.” 

Eisenhower Fellowships’ goal encourages people to expand their connections nationwide and globally. This allows communities to better shape the world around them and make it an accepting and peaceful place involving diverse groups with various expertise and perspectives to share. 

As President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said,

“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen it brutality, its futility, its stupidity…I like to believe people, in the long run, are going to do more to promote peace than their governments.”