About the Unum Fellows Program
As part of E Pluribus Unum’s foundational research journey in 2018, we found that people place a great deal of hope in their local political leadership and better embrace the concept of racial equity when local leadership actively seeks to advance it. Through UNUM Fellows, a signature program of E Pluribus Unum, elected leaders will gain or expand upon their understanding of how to address racial and economic equity within communities. Each UNUM Fellow will learn from nationally-recognized experts, consult with peers across the South, and design and implement an equity-based project that will create sustainable, meaningful change.

Cohort I: Municipal Elected Officials
Class of 2020
UNUM Fellows’ first cohort includes a diverse set of Southern elected leaders, from rural mayors to suburban school board members to county commissioners and big-city mayors. This select group will embark on a year-long journey to address inequitable and discriminatory policies and practices within their communities. Uniquely positioned to redesign broken systems, they begin this signature program amidst a renewed national movement towards racial and economic justice.
Cohort II: State Legislators
Class of 2021
The select cohort of Southern state legislators will participate in a year-long program to advance racial and economic equity in their states through sustainable change and collaboration. They are uniquely positioned to redesign broken systems and begin this signature program amidst a renewed national movement toward racial and economic justice.
Cohort III: Youth Fellows
Class of 2022
The Youth Cohort of the Unum Fellowship program consists of twenty 18-24-year old college students from sixteen southern academic institutions. The Fellowship program will equip the young leaders with resources, training, and technical expertise to develop and execute a project addressing racial and/or economic disparities on their school campuses or within their broader community.