The Daniel Foundation of Alabama funded the following Fellows’ projects. Fellows projects are now funded by the Senator Howell Heflin Fellowship.
2020 Fellow Projects
Shaping Our State is a multichannel campaign, anchored by three animated videos. The short films aim to educate, encourage and empower young Black women in Alabama to engage in all levels of government, from voting to running for office. The project was funded by the Daniel Foundation of Alabama and was awarded a Daniel Community Scholar grant in 2020.
The Statistics
- Alabama ranks 45th out of 50 in women’s representation in its state legislature
- Women make up only 15.7% of Alabama legislators and none hold leadership positions
- In Alabama, black women remain severely underrepresented as statewide executive level office holders, in just 1.9% of those positions
- No Black person has ever been elected to one of Alabama’s statewide executive offices
- While the University of Alabama has a majority of women students at 56.5%, only two of the eight elected executive officers in the SGA are women
The Team
The all-female production team includes celebrated filmmakers and creators, including multiple Emmy-award winners and NAACP awardees, who have credits on films and shows such as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Archer and Scandal. Numerous Blackburn students and Fellows came together to make this project possible:
- Martha Griffith – grantwriter
- Meredith Riley Stewart – producer
- Caitlyn McTier – narrator
- Amber Scales – narrator
- Lauren Chambliss – narrator
- Trinity Hunter– narrator
- Danielle Cassady – PR & Marketing
- Anna Ruth Williams – PR & Marketing
- Hallie Bradley – PR, Community Relations
- Lillian Brand – Marketing, Social Media Manager
- Carina Villarreal – Community Relations and Social Media
- Kate Fountain – Social Media
- Josh Britt – Social Media
Watch the Shaping Our State videos below, follow them on social media, and contact us if you would like to use them for educational purposes.
Reimagine every four years : Alabama’s Legislative Branch
This is our state, this is our time : Alabama’s Executive Branch
Where is the Urgency? Alabama’s Judicial Branch
2019 Fellow Projects
- BuildUp Proposal (2020 Annual Connections Magazine p. 12)
- Mission Reconcile Proposal
2015 Fellow Projects
- Heirloom Harvest.