The Foundation’s vision for this Fellowship is “to reimagine inequalities on a structural level, and to build a global ecosystem of connections challenging inequalities.” Her optimism may stem from seeing the work of the fellows, but also from the social change she’s witnessed in her lifetime. Pennington was raised by a single mother, between South Africa and St. Louis in the U.S., witnessing apartheid and segregation in both places.
They have been planning for this programme, focused on supporting social justice leaders long before the Covid-19 crisis hit, but with Covid-19, Pennington feels that there is a renewed urgency for the work. “In the last week of January, we were interviewing the semi-finalists to choose the 24 fellows. Covid-19 has laid bare the crisis of inequality for all of us, and there is a new urgency to address it.” She points to the responses to Covid-19 by the fellows they have selected.
The Ford Global Fellowship is different from previous programs, not least in its diversity, but also in its approach. “In the past, we supported a lot of individual leaders doing amazing work but we did not connect them as much to each other. This time, we recognize that they are entering this fellowship not only as individuals, but also as a community of leaders, who want to support each other.
Another change they made to the fellowship is how the fellows can make use of the stipend. “Each fellow receives $25,000 for the 18-month program. We are not requiring the fellows to use the stipend towards a work project, as many other fellowships do. So many of them are doing their work unpaid, especially in community organizing, we want to give them the grace and space to go deep in who they are,” says Pennington.
She need to put on a jacket.