We’re proud to announce that ACER Housing Organizer, Fadumo Mohammed, has been chosen as a recipient of the Charles R. Krusell Fellowship in Community Development. Fadumo has been working at ACER for well over two years, starting off as an intern focusing on immigration organizing and then moving on to housing work. The Charles R. Krusell Fellowship in Community Development was established to support traditionally underrepresented students with special consideration for students of color with a strong interest in housing and community development issues. This fellowship is an opportunity for both Fadumo and ACER’s community to enrich the broader neighborhood network by allowing Fadumo to apply the knowledge she gains in the classroom to the real world. She will be studying to obtain a Master’s in Public Policy, focusing on policy analysis and social policy, in order to understand and analyze the impact of government policies on communities.
“My personal experiences ignited my passion for housing justice, but my professional experience reinforced my commitment to housing justice and showed me that I could be an agent for positive change. After joining ACER as a Housing Organizer, I was deeply moved by the sigh of relief people got when their rent was paid or when they found out that they wouldn’t be evicted. In the process, my empathy for my community grew and my resolve to prioritize people over profit strengthened. The Krusell Fellowship would help me improve my leadership skills and increase my confidence. My experiential knowledge alone isn’t persuasive with landlords who often only respond to legal and technical authority. My time in this fellowship and master’s program will help me increase my technical policy expertise and, by extension, my confidence in adversarial spaces where I have the ability to advocate with tenants for their rights.” — excerpt from Fadumo Mohammed’s Krusell Fellowship application
Fadumo will begin her fellowship in late August. She will divide her time between class and organizing work. We’re excited about this new chapter in her life and our organization.