Global Justice and Equity Fellowship Names Their Next Cohort

The Office of Global Affairs (OGA) and the John Hope Franklin Center (JHFC) are delighted to announce the second cohort of the Graduate Fellowship for Global Justice and Equity (GJE Fellows). This fellowship supports current advanced Duke Ph.D. students whose dissertations are situated in international or regional studies and make an important contribution to advancing understanding of racial, social and equitable justice.

The creation of the GJE Fellowship is influenced by the legacy of Dr. John Hope Franklin, acclaimed historian of African American history. Franklin was an American historian, scholar, and civil rights activist. He is known for his groundbreaking research on the history of African Americans, particularly his studies of the American South and the role of slavery in American history. He was also a committed global citizen. His destinations included Nigeria, where he celebrated that country's independence in 1960; the United Kingdom, where he was a visiting professor at Cambridge from 1962-63; and Senegal, where he filmed "A Journey Toward Peace" with Bishop Desmond Tutu.

After receiving many outstanding applications, our selection committee has chosen an exceptional group of six individuals to join our second cohort. OGA and JHFC are excited to welcome these fellows to our community and to support them in their important work.

Below are the six selected GJE Fellows. Their term begins June 1, 2024, and concludes May 31, 2025.

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The GJE Fellows will hold offices in the John Hope Franklin Center, which is intentional, as this fellowship follows the example of John Hope Franklin himself. Julie Maxwell, Program Manager of the GJE Fellowship recalls, “Franklin once said, ‘We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness, and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.’ The Office of Global Affairs and the John Hope Franklin Center wants to walk with the fellows as they complete their time at Duke and help them to share their stories, their learnings and leave Duke leading with a lens of equity and justice.”

Kerilyn Schewel, Faculty Director of the GJE Fellowship, states, "I have learned so much from the GJE fellows. I find it quite amazing that despite such different regional and disciplinary perspectives, we form a cohort of like-minded scholars centered on social justice. Last year, the GJE fellows did a remarkable job convening an interdisciplinary conference at Duke on the theme of community-engaged research. I'm excited to see what next year's cohort will dream up."