{Minneapolis-October 25, 2021} -The Josie R. Johnson Leadership Academy fellows are coming down the home stretch in their 2021 program, and they’ve saved some of their best work for these last 90 days. Their goal is to finish strongly, as their campaign comes to completion at the end of November.  

In August the JRJLA Alumni Network hosted a brunch, attracting a large contingent of alumni who brought uplifting messages of leadership and wisdom for the current fellows. Representatives from various cohorts were in attendance, and they laid the groundwork for strategies on how to improve alumni communication and networking in the future—as they all got to know each other, sharing lessons of how this fellowship has propelled their respective careers 

September brought more activity highlighted by a get together detailing self-care, and specifically what self-care in leadership looks like, with explanations of various forms of rest. If you don’t properly fuel yourself for the journey, you’ll never get to where you want to go. 

In October the Fellowship conducted a workshop titled, “The Future of Black Minnesota.” Spearheaded by the Education and Economic Opportunities work group, a contingent of six of the women fellows, a comprehensive and educational discussion was carried out, which lasted just over an hour. In a nice display of team leadership as well, the group provided the virtual audience a thorough dissertation on the origin of Black people in Minnesota, coupled with an historical and current analysis of the Black business and educational sectors throughout the state. The event ended with a spirited panel discussion involving two experts in economic and educational affairs. The workshop can be viewed here. 

The 2021 Fellowship cycle comes to an end in November, and the emerging leaders take the knowledge they’ve learned, implementing it into their careers and various communities where they work and live. Stay tuned for updates and announcements and learn more about our current 2021 fellows in a dropdown tab within this header above. If interested in becoming a candidate for 2022 Fellowship, contact Adora@aalftc.org.