Journalism major headed to Europe for social justice program
The Office of Fellowships is thrilled to announce that William Clark (Medill ’24) has been chosen for the 2023 cohort of the Humanity in Action Fellowship! This summer, Will will travel to Europe and participate in a month of programming with the other fellows.
Will is a junior, double majoring in history and journalism with a minor in French. He is a student-journalist passionate about issues of queer rights, international justice issues, and climate change. He has worked as a reporter and editor at the Daily Northwestern, writing articles and making podcasts about activism and various social issues on campus and in the Evanston community; a research assistant at Northwestern’s Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health; and a Leopold Fellow doing research for Dr. Sarah Cushman’s project Auschwitz: The Women’s Camp, which focused on the ways gender shaped the experiences of women prisoners in Auschwitz.
As a fellow, Will will spend the month of June in Copenhagen alongside twenty-five other fellows, participating in workshops, discussions, and presentations by experts, politicians, NGOs, activists and other actors in the human rights space. The fellowship will focus on climate change, democracy, and human rights in a world in crisis, exploring how to strengthen active citizenship and inspire continued action. After his time in Copenhagen, Will will return to Evanston to complete a yearlong action project, applying the skills and knowledge gained from his experience to a human rights issue in his own community. He hopes to carry out a project focusing on public transit and social justice in the Chicago area. In the future, Will hopes to use the skills, experience, and knowledge gained from these experiences to achieve his ultimate goal of entering a career in human rights research.
The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of university students to explore national histories of discrimination and resistance, as well as examples of issues affecting different minority groups today. The program is interdisciplinary and features daily lectures and discussions with renowned academics, journalists, politicians, and activists, as well as site visits to government agencies, nonprofit and community organizations, museums, and memorials. The program highlights different models of action to remedy injustice.
Will is the first Wildcat to win the Humanity in Action Fellowship since James Crisafulli (WCAS ’20) secured the award in 2020.
Contact Jason Kelly Roberts at jason-roberts@northwestern.edu to learn more about the Humanity in Action Fellowship.