Alabama A&M to host young civic leaders for academic residency

287434590 10158290288817046 6062114465577280456 n — Alabama A&M will host civic leaders for a residency over the next two weeks. (Alabama A&M University)

Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama will be a significant participant in the Gandhi-King Scholarly Exchange Initiative, which brings together 20 emerging young civic leaders from India and the United States to advance civil rights, social justice and inclusion.

The program explores the histories and legacies of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This exchange was championed by the late Honorable John Lewis.

What these leaders will do in Alabama

158417456 10157759342137127 3095834408898085043 n — The Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma is among the many civil rights sites the program’s participants will visit. (Birmingham Civil Rights Institute via Facebook)

The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs launched the program this week, and these young leaders began June 14 with a one-week virtual program and orientation followed by a two-week academic residency hosted at AAMU and UA.

In addition to classroom learning and discussion, participants will visit civil rights sites in Montgomery,  Selma and Birmingham; and in Memphis and Atlanta.

An international learning experience

120422658 10157413434762127 8226497108446710797 n — The 20 young leaders will also visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute during their residency. (Birmingham Civil Rights Institute via Facebook)

After visiting sites like the Birmingham Civil Rights institute and Edmund Pettus Bridge, the participants in the program will have the opportunity to visit similar historic sites in India.

In January 2023, the Indian and U.S. participants will reconvene in India to visit important sites, communities and organizations that build upon their academic curriculum — which is centered on the academic themes of peace, nonviolence and conflict resolution — and build their leadership capacities.

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