Access & Equity for BIPOC and Marginalized Communities
For the 2021-2022 IIE Centennial Fellowships, five Fulbright alumni have received awards of up to $25,000 to help fund projects that focus on increasing access, equity, and empowerment for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and other marginalized communities at the local, national or global level. Over their fellowship year, they will share their projects, goals, and updates through this blog.
Mneesha Gellman Blogs
Reentry Support for College Students Leaving Prison: The Emerson Prison Initiative’s Reentry and College Outside Program
From Incarcerated Person to College Graduate: The Emerson Prison Initiative’s First Graduation
Facilitating Successful Reentry: EPI Reentry and College Outside Program (RECOUP) Staff Perspective
Educational Access in Prison and Afterwards: The Emerson Prison Initiative Story
An Upgraded Molino, Increased Water Access, and Transnational Institution-Building
Melchor shares the transformative potential of the transnational Black women’s food sovereignty project.
Lessons I Learned from My IIE Centennial Fellowship
Abdelhaleem reflects on the lessons he learn from the IIE Centennial Fellowship and how the project will be sustained moving forward.
The Necessity of Providing Care to People who Inject Drugs in Rwanda
Dr. Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema describes the impact of his IIE Centennial Fellowship on generating evidence on health issues affecting People who Inject Drugs in Rwanda.
Reentry Support for College Students Leaving Prison: The Emerson Prison Initiative’s Reentry and College Outside Program
The success of Mac Hudson, a former EPI student and current student in the EPI RECOUP program, shows the impact and difference that intentional support for formerly incarcerated college students can have.
My Childhood and Fulbright Experiences Allowed Me to Be the Researcher I Am Today
Dr. Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema describes his journey to becoming an infectious diseases epidemiologist who studies health issues affecting marginalized communities.
From Air Pollution to Sustainable Farming
Abdelhaleem Khader shares how his childhood love of the natural environment in The West Bank inspired his career
Feeding Development, Transnational Education & Family Legacies
Melchor Hall shares how supporting Black family legacies drives her work
From Incarcerated Person to College Graduate: The Emerson Prison Initiative’s First Graduation
Mneesha attends the Emerson Prison Initiative’s first graduation and speaks to alumni about what their degree means to them.
Addressing the Health and Social Challenges of People Who Inject Drugs in Rwanda is a Public Health and Moral Imperative
Dr. Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema discusses the impact of his IIE Centennial Fellowship on promoting the health and human rights of People who Inject Drugs in Rwanda.
Empowering Marginalized Communities Through Sustainable Farming in Rural Areas of the West Bank
Abdelhaleem Khader discusses how his sustainable farming project addresses unemployment among Palestinian women and incentivizes young agronomists to stay in their home communities.
Transnational Black Women’s Solidarity as New Bones for Development Practice
K. Melchor Quick Hall speaks to the need to address racism in international development scholarship and practice, and how the model of the Transnational Black Women’s Food Sovereignty Project aims to pilot an alternative path
Facilitating Successful Reentry: EPI Reentry and College Outside Program (RECOUP) Staff Perspective
Interview between Mneesha Gellman & Reilly Loynd about the EPI RECOUP Program
Advocating For Respectful Maternity Care in Niger
Dr. Amina Alio discusses how she developed a passion for addressing social determinants of health and how her New Leader project will bring her back to Niger to address inequities in maternity care.
Towards Sustainable Farming in Rural Areas of the West Bank
Abdelhaleem Khader shares how his experience as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar and his family have inspired his Centennial Fellowship project on sustainable farming in the West Bank
Designing and Implementing a Harm Reduction Program for People Who Inject Drugs in Kigali, Rwanda
Dr. Jean Olivier Twahirwa Rwema discusses how his IIE Centennial Fellowship will support him design and implement the first harm reduction program for people who inject drugs in Kigali.
A Transnational Black Feminist Food Sovereignty Project
Melchor Hall shares how her personal experience of Black transnationalism and previous work with Garifuna ereba makers inspired her IIE Centennial Fellowship project.
Educational Access in Prison and Afterwards: The Emerson Prison Initiative Story
Mneesha Gellman, founder of the Emerson Prison Initiative, introduces the program and how the IIE Centennial Fellowship will help launch RECOUP (Reentry and College Outside Program) to continue to support formerly incarcerated students.