WASHINGTON – Two Howard University School of Divinity students, Kelvin Mbi and Devan Martin, have been selected as scholars for the 2022-2023 John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows Program. 

The John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows Program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students to examine Lewis’s nonviolent philosophy from a historical perspective; define its principles and strategies; and identify their applicability to modern times and movements, current issues, and everyday life. The JRL Scholars & Fellows will become a nationwide network of emerging leaders who will be inspired to create positive societal change from the revolutionary nonviolent perspective that was employed with success in the civil rights movement. 

“The entire divinity school community celebrates Kelvin Mbi and Mr. Devan Martin being named 2022-2023 John Robert Lewis Fellows of the Faith & Politics Institute,” said Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D., dean of Howard University School of Divinity. “As the life of the late Congressman John Lewis demonstrates, the work of faith and justice are crucial to creating a more perfect union. We are grateful for all our partnerships with various civic, political and nonprofit organizations, which provide space for our students to explore their vocational callings.” 

Participants in the John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows Program are selected for being inspired by the moral leadership of John Lewis, educated and empowered to use Martin Luther King’s principles and strategies of nonviolence, and committed to applying these competencies to become changemakers in their local communities. 

“As a public servant, community activist and faith leader, I am naturally attracted to the opportunity of creating a real impact in our communities,” said Martin. “Through this experience as a John Roberts Lewis Follow, I believe that I will be provided the tools and develop the relationships to ensure social justice for those that are often marginalized and overlooked. I look forward to learning many of Lewis’s nonviolent philosophies from a historical perspective and how we can apply them to modern times and movements, current issues and everyday life. Here is my opportunity to get into ‘good trouble’ while creating social change.” 

During the 12-month-long program, scholars and fellows will connect with representatives from national, state and local governments, businesses and nonprofits engaged in social impact work; participate in the Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage in March 2024; and engage in virtual programs with thought leaders on various issues. Additionally, each scholar and fellow will receive a $2,000 stipend. 

“I feel humbled and privileged to be selected for the 2022-2023 John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows program,” said Mbi. “As a change agent, I am committed and passionate about faith-based leadership. My inspiration centers on the moral leadership of Congressman John Lewis and Micah 6:8: ‘Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.’ I look forward to learning King’s revolutionary principles and Lewis’s philosophy of nonviolence as useful tools needed to create positive societal transformation.” 

To learn more about the John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows Program, visit faithandpolitics.org. 

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