Academy for Educational Development
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New Voices Fellowship Helps Former Death Row Inmate Affect Change in the Criminal Justice System: Program Aims to Develop a New Generation of Social Justice Leaders Program Aims to Develop a New Generation of Social Justice Leaders Washington, D.C., May 12, 2004 — Joseph Amrine spent 17 of his 26 years in prison on death row. He was freed in July 2003 after being found innocent. Today, Amrine is remaking his life by using his experiences and a fellowship to affect change in the criminal justice system. As a New Voices Fellow, he will work for Public Interest Litigation Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri advocating for alternatives to the death penalty and training criminal defense attorneys to represent their clients well. Amrine is one of 15 New Voices fellows who will take on challenging leadership roles at small nonprofits across the country. The Academy for Educational Development’s New Voices National Fellowship Program, (http://newvoices.aed.org/home.html) helps individuals from very diverse backgrounds develop the leadership skills needed to confront the tough problems that impede social justice in America. In 2004, New Voices will enable 15 small nonprofit organizations to bring in fellows with fresh perspectives and new ideas in exchange for a commitment to mentor the fellows and give them a voice in the organization. The fellows will work in nine sponsored fields including: racial justice, international human rights, women’s rights, HIV/AIDS, reproductive rights, migrant and refugee rights, peace and security, foreign policy, and international economic policy. The program is made possible through funding from the Ford Foundation. One of the many accomplishments of previous New Voices Fellows is the drafting of California’s paid family leave legislation, the nation’s first such law, which takes effect in July 2004. Another is a $5 million reparations judgment from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for the surviving victims of a massacre of more than 260 civilians in Caracas, Venezuela. New Voices is designed with the belief that solving complex problems requires the creativity and dedication of leaders with different styles and competences as well as varying cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. AED received 327 applications for this year’s awards, signaling a strong interest and need for this type of support in the nonprofit community. The 15 finalists were selected by a panel of 12 national experts in social and economic justice. There are currently 90 New Voices Fellows. “New Voices Fellows have personal stories to tell – stories that speak of commitment, sometimes struggle, and always the desire to change the communities in which they live,” said Moseley. This year’s selected organizations and fellows include: Baltimore Algebra Project,Thomas Nikundiwe, (Baltimore, MD) ### |
