Hi there,
It's been a while! For us, like many folks who work at academic institutions, fall goes by super fast - it seems like it's September, and then you look up, and it is December, and the days are super short.
This is around when we would usually announce the applications for fellows, but instead, I have some bittersweet news. After much thought and reflection, we have made the decision to sunset IfRFA in June 2024. As many of you know, running any kind of diversity programming is a rewarding but difficult tightrope walk balancing many competing priorities, and although I think we've managed this well during our four years, we reached an inflection point. Given the mission and structure of the program, I made the difficult decision that it was more appropriate to sunset the organization while spending our last year writing up our findings rather than to continue its programming or name in a way that didn't reflect its fundamental values and goals.
That means that our cohort last summer will be our last group of fellowship students. We're using this fall and spring to write up our findings, both in terms of our program model as well as drafting a playbook to take what we learned that might be useful to others across contexts, as well as to provide the kind of ongoing connection and mentorship that has always been core to our program.
In May, we'll be throwing one last event that focuses on the overlap between the First Amendment and bodily autonomy—one of those areas that we've identified where diversity of First Amendment practitioners and perspectives is key. You can check out our kickoff panel and sign up for more information on that at
comstockcon.com.
As I was writing this newsletter issue, I was listening to the audiobook of
Let This Radicalize You, a book on organizing by Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba. In their chapter on "Avoiding Burnout and Going the Distance," they discuss seasons of organizing and how endings are a natural part of life and projects. Their closing of that chapter really resonated with me:
"The end of one project can mean the beginning of new dreams and schemes about how to remake the world. We have said many goodbyes in our work, yet the work goes on, and so do we, building, hoping, and creating in concert with other human beings."
I want to again thank each of you who worked with us whether by supervising students, attending events, or just offering enthusiasm for the program. I am really proud of what IfRFA and our fellows achieved, and everyone who has followed our work and engaged with us has been a part of that. I am sad, but also excited to see what seeds IfRFA has sown that might lead to new growth in the (literal and metaphorical) spring.
Thank you, again,
Kendra