From The Field: Equity Fund Fellows Kick Off With A Renewed Sense of Belonging and Energy
By E. Guilu Murphy
Fellows sit in a circle listening to Rabbi Julie Greenberg and Jamir Hubbard (POWER Interfaith) and Dreama Caldwell (Down Home NC) discuss their Whole Homes Repair and medicaid expansion campaign wins in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, respectively.
In June 2023, the Equity Fund gathered the second cohort of the Climate Equity Policy Fellows for an in-person orientation just outside of Philadelphia, PA. Being a Climate Equity Policy Fellow is not an easy task: Fellows must bridge their communities’ visions and lived experience with tangible climate equity-related policy and legislative outcomes. They might also become their host organization’s go-to person for translating complicated policies and abstract issues into campaigns that mobilize their community as the only, or one of the few, policy-oriented staff members at their host organization. On top of all of this, Fellows’ efforts are up against a longstanding backdrop of white-dominated professional fields in both policy and clean energy and climate work where centering equity is an uphill battle.
To combat the difficult and often-isolating policy environments the Fellows might find themselves in, the orientation offered a chance for the program’s 14 Fellows from eight different states (CO, NV, MD, PA, FL, NC, and IL) to connect with the intention of fostering community, building relationships, and providing policy-specific trainings, resources, and support.
Marking the beginning of their three-year journey as Climate Equity Policy Fellows, the cohort was able to deepen their relationships with each other and access resources and support from the Equity Fund to ease the weight of their work. Hear from the Fellows on what the Orientation meant to them:
“Being a part of the fellowship reminded me how much I’m a part of a group of people fighting for climate and environmental Justice across the country. As one of my cohort-mates and I discussed… ‘If you’re doing it alone, then you’re doing something wrong.’ I feel really grateful to have a cohort of brilliant fellows to support and back me up when things get tough. In addition, I was super impressed with all the experts CCEEF has access to and I know it will be super helpful to my organization.”
“I'm absolutely thankful for my experience so far with the Climate Equity Policy Fellowship. After taking a hiatus from climate and environmental justice because of burnout and a lack of appreciation for Black women in the climate field, I’m thankful to be back in this space with this group of people. It feels affirming to have a dedicated cohort and team behind us to make this work possible.”
“The gathering really helped me understand what the purpose of the fellowship is and to make the connection between all of our climate issues across the country. The orientation sets a great tone for what the next 3 years will look like.”
The Equity Fund looks forward to continuing to support the Climate Equity Policy Fellows in their journeys to build the power and capacity needed to win meaningful, long-term change.
About The Climate Equity Policy Fellowship: The Climate Equity Policy Fellowship supports frontline organizations in Equity Fund states to deepen frontline policy capacity to create state-level policy change. It provides funding for three-year policy positions for select host organizations and offers training and mentoring opportunities for the Fellows. Learn more.
E. Guilu Murphy is the Program Coordinator with the Policy Accelerator at the Equity Fund.
