Our Fellows
Each year, we bring leaders from across the country to train, develop, and coach the next generation of leaders in movement work. This hands-on trainings move us from theory and into concrete social change.
- Edna & Laurence Williams National Community Fellowship
- Debra Lee Community Organizing Fellowship
Edna & Laurence Williams National Organizing Fellowship
CoCo has been organizing Black and Brown youth and adults to influence, change and create public policy to improve the quality of life in South LA for more than 30 years. From the first major campaign Community Coalition launched and won, Edna and Laurence Williams were front and center volunteering with the organization. They championed “Rebuilding South LA Without Liquor Stores” after the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising, they helped ensure South LA youth had access to college transferable courses via the “A-G” campaign and they exemplified community leadership by tirelessly working to assert the voices and collective wisdom of their community. The fellowship is composed of a diverse group of people from all over the county currently contributing to the social justice movement.
The Edna & Laurence Williams National Organizing Fellowship contributes to and invests in the next generation of BIPOC organizers committed to advancing equity and opportunity in Black and Brown communities across the nation. Cohorts receive intensive training in the theory of social change, social movement history, and the art and science of community organizing through hands-on application in a policy action campaign. Fellows also have the opportunity to learn from organizing experts who have decades of experience in addressing the root causes of poverty, mass incarceration, and the school-to-prison pipeline.
The Debra Lee Community Organizing Fellowship
The Debra Lee Community Organizing Fellowship is named after Debra Lee, one of Community Coalition’s amazing community leaders. Ms. Lee, who transitioned on June 11th, 2022, helped CoCo organize our relative caregiver’s program—Kinship In Action (KIA). The Fellowship is a 15-week program (June 5th-October 6th) based in Los Angeles and will be facilitated in person. The intergenerational cohort comprises those who are part of a base-building organization and have lived experience related to incarceration, foster care, and immigration.
Through this fellowship, participants will sharpen their skills in applying foundational organizing through field practice at their respective organizations. They each bring unique skill sets, lived experiences, and a commitment to transforming social and economic conditions for Black and Brown communities. We are excited to build on their leadership and community organizing skills and translate it into impactful change throughout the County of LA.