HYDE PARK — The University of Chicago's Institute of Politics announced this week that activist DeRay Mckesson, along with six others, were named fellows for the upcoming fall quarter.
Welcome our new IOP Fellows @lieslhickey @kakukowski @deray @PhilRevzin @D_G_Alexander Michael Morell & Bruce Reed! https://t.co/7b30kQzYM6
— UChicago Politics (@UChiPolitics) August 17, 2016
Mckesson will lead a seminar series focused on social justice, social media, and organizing, officials said.
Mckesson, an educator and a co-founder of Campaign Zero, an organization that aims to end police violence, told DNAinfo that he had been a member of a summer fellowship at the university while he was in college.
"I'm excited to join the IOC and start in the fall," Mckesson said. "I'm excited to join the other group of fellows and I'm excited to be working with them as well."
Each fellow is scheduled to interact with students and faculty, participate in public forums and lead "off-the-record" seminars. The six Resident Fellows will teach four- to eight-week seminars, officials said.
“At a time of such national and international turmoil, from police violence in this country to the threat of ISIS abroad, we are fortunate to have this group of Fellows here to engage our students on a wide range of issues,” IOP director David Axelrod said in a press release. “And with the presidential election only a few months away, the chance to hear from experienced strategists is one that I know our students will relish.”
Other fellows selected by the University of Chicago include Kirsten Kukowski, a Republican media strategist, and Michael Morell, former acting director of the CIA.
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