dee Clarke Justice Fellowship
To help achieve this vision, the dee Clarke Justice Fellowship (dCJF) provides opportunities to learn about research, policy, and community engagement and to create more positive outcomes for historically marginalized communities in Maine.
In this work we value being Accessible, Empowering, Supportive, Inspiring, and Inclusive.
The fellowship is named in honor of former Commissioner dee Clarke, who served in the seat for an organization that focuses on housing or homelessness. dee let her lived experience guide her work with Homeless Voices for Justice and Survivors Speak USA (SSUSA). For more than 20 years, dee organized, educated and empowered adults and youth to speak out for public policy that affects their lives. She organized groups to march, demonstrate, collaborate, dialogue, create, to have and give voice, and to be at the table of decision-makers. dee founded SSUSA in 2015, following her personal 2014 testimony to the Maine Human Rights Commission. dee’s experiences with Maine’s burgeoning anti-trafficking movement sharpened her belief that survivors must be the ones driving solutions. dee was known for her diplomacy and grace, from meeting with governors and legislators to interacting directly with fellow survivors.
On October 31, 2021, dee passed away at the age of 64. Taken too soon, dee left an indelible mark on the Permanent Commission, Maine policy making and advocacy, and countless people whose lives were made better because of her fearless love and compassion.
- What we do
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Advance the mission and work of the Permanent Commission through self-designed community-based projects. The dee Clarke Justice Fellowship (dCJF) is a program co-facilitated by the Permanent Commission and the University of Southern Maine, Place Matters project and our community partners.
This fellowship program aims to provide a supportive learning environment where a small cohort of fellows will develop skills, connect with positive professional mentors, and complete a self-designed project that aligns with the mission of the Permanent Commission.
The goals of this program include:
- Advancing the mission and work of the Permanent Commission through self-designed community-based projects centered on racial justice.
- Providing an opportunity for historically-marginalized and systems-impacted people to develop professional and leadership skills while exploring and strengthening professional experiences, advocating for justice, and public policy.
- Empowering fellows to participate in research, policy work, and community engagement in and with their communities in a supportive and inspiring learning environment.
- Enhancing professional connections to mentors and role models working in a range of civic and policy positions statewide and in local communities.
- Who the fellowship is for
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This Fellowship is designed to support a diverse group of Fellows from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. If you are passionate about wellbeing and self-determination for communities of color in Maine and seeking to grow your role in community-led systems change, this Fellowship is for you!
We encourage anyone to apply even if your qualifications do not match what is listed. We welcome undergraduate students interested in gaining experience, recent graduates looking to enter racial justice and systems change work, early career professionals looking to build skills and connect with other changemakers, or anyone who has a passion for systems change and is committed to working in racial justice. As this Fellowship is grounded in the belief that those closest to the issues often have the most creative and relevant solutions, we especially welcome applicants with direct lived experience of systemic oppression, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and those who may have experience with homelessness, drug use and recovery, school exclusion, and criminal legal system involvement.
- What fellows do
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Participate in research, policy work, and community engagement in a supportive and inspiring learning environment. The fellowship program is designed to provide fellows with a foundational understanding of skills in research, policy, community engagement, and leadership, and guide them in designing and implementing a self-designed project. We strive to utilize an intersectional, collaborative approach to learning to support the diverse needs of the cohort group. In the lessons, we aim to foster connections and build relationships as we learn from one another throughout the program.
Fellows will:
- Complete group and individual trainings throughout the program and participate in a supportive peer learning environment.
- Learn and build skills related to applied research, policy,
- Design and implement an individual project, with guidance from mentors, in the area of research, policy, or community engagement that aligns with the mission of the Permanent Commission.
- Meet regularly with mentors, program managers, and peer group to share updates and troubleshoot any challenges in your project work.
- Connect with mentors and other professionals for professional development purposes.
- Join the 2025 - 2026 Fellowship Cohort
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Build professional connections to Maine civics and policy leaders. We are accepting applications for our 2025-2026 cohort which will run from September 22, 2025- May 31, 2026. Applications are open until July 15, 2025.
This year’s fellowship and projects will focus on the intersecting theme of food justice through a racial justice lens. We define food justice as a holistic and systemic view of the food system that sees healthy food as a human right and addresses structural barriers to that right. Food justice movements, which are often led by Indigenous Peoples and people of color, work not only for access to healthy food, but for an end to the structural inequities that lead to unequal health outcomes.
Please join us virtually for one of our information sessions if you would like to learn more and ask questions.
- July 8th, noon-1pm
- July 15th, 3-4pm
Click here to register