NCHE names 20 fellows for racial healing leadership program focused on voting rights and immigration

The National Collaborative for Health Equity has selected 20 leaders for the fourth cohort of its Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing, a 12-month virtual program launching in November. The cohort will center on the TRHT Law Pillar and focus on systemic inequities in voting rights and immigration policy.

Why it matters: - The new cohort puts racial healing work directly into two of the country’s most contested policy areas: voting rights and immigration. - NCHE is using the program to build a national pipeline of leaders working on racial and health equity in communities across the U.S. - Each fellow will receive a $10,000 stipend, plus mentoring and resources to support community-based action.

What happened: - The National Collaborative for Health Equity announced 20 leaders selected for the fourth cohort of its Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing. - The cohort launches in November and runs for 12 months in a virtual format. - Cohort 4 is centered on the Law Pillar of the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation framework. - The fellows include practitioners, advocates, scholars and other leaders focused on systemic inequities in voting rights and immigration policy.

The details: - The program uses the TRHT framework to strengthen leaders advancing racial and health equity nationwide. - The framework was launched by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in 2016. - TRHT addresses five areas: narrative change, racial healing and relationship building, separation, law and the economy. - Dr. Gail C. Christopher, NCHE’s executive director, said the cohort arrives at a moment when rights to vote and to belong are being tested across the country. - Christopher said the program is aimed at eradicating the false belief in a hierarchy of human value that perpetuates racism. - Fellows will receive monthly virtual learning, mentoring and resources to accelerate action in their communities. - Support includes customized mentorship and peer-to-peer sharing circles. - The program also provides practical tools to navigate and disrupt institutional racism. - Fellows gain access to a national network of more than 120 CoHLI alumni and national subject matter experts across multiple sectors.

Between the lines: - NCHE is framing law as both a tool of harm and a tool for repair, which points to a broader strategy that links policy change with narrative and relationship change. - The focus on voting rights and immigration suggests the cohort is designed to respond to current civic and social pressure points, not just long-term equity goals. - Christopher said changing laws, policies and practices may not be enough without healing the relationships and narratives that shape how laws are written and enforced. - The examples cited by Christopher, from pediatric clinics in Oakland to voter organizing in Mississippi, show the program’s reach across health care and civic engagement.

What's next: - NCHE said more information about Cohort 4 participants is available on the Culture of Health Leadership Institute for Racial Healing website. - Fellows are expected to use the 12-month program to deepen local work while connected to the wider alumni network. - NCHE will continue building its broader health and racial equity movement through leadership support, policy analysis, data work and community mobilization.

The bottom line: - NCHE is investing in a new class of leaders it sees as essential to confronting racial inequity through both policy and community healing.