Liberatory leadership, like land, holds memory. It remembers the footprints of those who came before, the pressure of extraction, and the possibility of restoration. The John W. Mack Fellows have been tending that land—loosening hardened soil, planting seeds of shared power, and learning to lead in ways that nourish much more than deplete.
Since 2019, Change Elemental has been honored to design and facilitate the John W. Mack Movement Building Fellows Program in deep partnership with the Weingart Foundation. The power of the fellowship lives in the fellows themselves. Across three cohorts, these Southern California movement leaders have brought the depth of their experience—their vision, vulnerability, brilliance, and commitment—to the complex and tender work of healing, unlearning, experimenting, and leading from and toward the future we need.
Their leadership has disrupted harmful norms and made room for something more life-giving: leadership grounded in care, shared power, and sustainability. Together, they’ve built practices that align with their values and nourish not only their own leadership but also their organizations, networks, and movements. What they’ve cultivated ripples outward—a fractal of transformation rooted in liberation.
We’re proud to share a new Learning & Impact Brief and a library of Learning Reports that hold the ongoing reflections, practices, and insights that are emerging from this work. These offerings—from the fellows, planning team, and learning partner, Eric Wat, to the broader field—hold lessons from their journeys and invitations to join them in reshaping the being and doing of leadership.
You can read the Learning & Impact Brief and explore the full library of Learning Reports on our website. Whether you’re a coconspirator, funder, or organizer, the practices seeded by the Mack Fellows can support us in cultivating liberatory power to meet the moment with courage and care.
We’re deeply grateful to the Weingart Foundation for its continued partnership and visionary leadership in supporting strong movement ecosystems—and, most of all, to the Mack Fellows for their deep wisdom and creativity in reimagining leadership, together.
Change Elemental
At Change Elemental, we see the growing complexity of today’s problems as a call to combine our energy and wisdom in ways that will catalyze lasting, transformative change, and uproot long-standing challenges to love, dignity, and justice.
Originally published at Change Elemental
Network Weaver is dedicated to offering free content to all – in support of equity, justice and transformation for all.
We appreciate your support!
