Fulbright-John Lewis Fellowship

John Lewis standing under quote of his in Nashville Public Library
Rep. John Lewis standing under a quote of his in the Civil Rights Room in the Nashville Public Library in Nashville, Tennessee in 2016. (Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP)

The Fulbright-John Lewis Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for Fulbright U.S. Student Program participants to join a cohort of their peers and participate in virtual activities advancing the goals of the Fellowship during their Fulbright exchanges such as a dedicated lecture series, leadership training, development opportunities, and an in-person capstone seminar.   

Established through bi-partisan legislation in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs created the Fulbright-John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship in 2024 to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives John Lewis.  The fellowship is designed to inspire future generations to carry on his vision of non-violent civil rights work, and promote the understanding of the history and tenets of nonviolent civil rights movements around the globe. The 2024 Fulbright-John Lewis Civil Rights Fellows represent the breadth of the United States through their backgrounds and experiences, and as researchers in a wide range of academic disciplines. They will carry out research projects in 23 countries in all world areas.   

The Fellows come from all regions of the United States. Their research projects explore concepts of citizenship, human rights, democratic movements, and peace and conflicts studies in nations and regions across the world.  

By bringing together this community of researchers throughout their Fulbright experience, the Fulbright-John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship will help these U.S. participants share knowledge with their peers, conduct meaningful research, and promote the Fulbright Program’s goal of cross-cultural exchange and mutual understanding.

John Lewis with sitting with members from Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in front of Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC.
John Lewis (second from right) was one of the leaders of the 1963 March on Washington, D.C., as Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. (Source: National Archives)

2024-2025 Fulbright-John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Recipients

Headshot of Mele’ana Kehaulani ‘Akolo



Mele’ana Kehaulani ‘Akolo
Kingdom of Tonga
Headshot of  Chamise Anderson



Chamise Anderson
Barbados
Headshot of Céline Apollon



Céline Apollon
Republic of Congo
Headshot of Jessica Ashman



Jessica Ashman
Ecuador
Headshot of Vera Carothers



Vera Carothers
Argentina
Headshot of Jasmine Carty



Jasmine Carty
Luxembourg
Headshot of Sean Coffman Atchison



Sean Coffman Atchison
Brazil
Headshot of Nilufahr Cooper



Nilufahr Cooper
Germany
Headshot of Solomon Ra’phael Davis



Solomon Ra’phael Davis
Nigeria
Headshot of Victoria Day




Victoria Dey
France
Headshot of Valencia Epps



Valencia Epps
South Korea
Headshot of Temitope Famodu



Temitope Famodu
Hungary
Headshot of James Flynn



James Flynn
South Korea
Headshot of Maria Caterina Gargano



Maria Caterina Gargano
Mexico
Headshot of Christopher Handwerk



Christopher Handwerk
Kosovo
Headshot of Nathan Johnson



Nathan Johnson
United Kingdom
Headshot of Mohnish Judge



Mohnish Judge
India
Headshot of Liam Martin



Liam Martin
Canada
Headshot of Rachel	Margolis



Rachel Margolis
Argentina
Headshot of Francesca Nyakora



Francesca Nyakora
Brazil
Headshot of Tesfamichael Negussie



Tesfamichael Negussie
Ethiopia
Headshot of Travis Richardson



Travis Richardson
New Zealand
Headshot of Natalie Schirmacher



Natalie Schirmacher
Finland
Headshot of Munirat Suleiman



Munirat Suleiman
Germany
Headshot of Connie Ticho



Connie Ticho
South Africa
Headshot of Anthony Wagner V



Anthony Wagner V
Brazil

Headshot of Desiree Winns



Desiree Winns
Lithuania

Headshot of Sophie Mariko Wheeler



Sophie Mariko Wheeler
Japan

About Representative John Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020)

Headshot of John Lewis

The life and career of John Lewis models the unwavering commitment to peaceful protests against injustice toward Black Americans, and the legislative victories of the U.S. civil rights movement. Born in 1940 in Alabama, Lewis was one of the student founders in 1960 of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and its chairman from 1963 to 1966. Lewis helped to organize many of the touchstone moments in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, including the Freedom Rides, the 1963 March on Washington, and the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

In 1963, Lewis addressed the crowd at the March on Washington before Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream Speech” and met with President Kennedy. He faced threats, arrest, and endured violence, most famously during the “Bloody Sunday” march in 1965 on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which spurred the passage of the Voting Rights Act in the same year. During the late 1960s through the 1980s, Lewis devoted his time to various community organizing and voter registration efforts.

In 1987, Lewis was elected to represent Georgia’s 5th District in the House of Representatives, where he served until 2020 as the “conscience of the Congress,” passing legislation such as the 2003 bill establishing the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which stands on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Adapted from The National Archives and Smithsonian Magazine

Information about the Fulbright-John Lewis Fellowship is available at us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/types-of-awards/fulbright-john-lewis-civil-rights-fellowship.