Senator Collins, Bipartisan Group of Colleagues Successfully Include John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act in NDAA

Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senator Susan Collins and a bipartisan group of her colleagues celebrated the inclusion of the John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship Act, in the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), expected to pass before year’s end. The legislation will create a “John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship” within the existing Fulbright U.S. Student Program to support Americans in the study of nonviolent civil rights movements abroad.

“Congressman John Lewis was a civil rights icon who changed history at great personal sacrifice and whose unwavering commitment to nonviolent activism serves as an example for future generations,” said Senator Collins. “In 2015, I was honored to be among those who joined him in Selma to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March that he led. By supporting the study of nonviolent civil rights movements around the world, this new fellowship would honor and carry forward his legacy.”

The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange scholarship, sending over 370,000 young Americans abroad since its creation in 1946. The John Lewis Civil Rights Fellowship would promote studies, research, and international exchange in the subject of nonviolent movements that established and protected civil rights around the world.

U.S. Representative Nikema Williams, who now represents Lewis’ longtime congressional district in Georgia, and Representative Nancy Mace introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

This legislation was also cosponsored by Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Jon Ossoff (D-GA).

Full bill text is available HERE. For full text of the NDAA, click HERE.

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