Fellowship - Confronting White Nationalism in Oregon Schools

About Western States Center Based in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain States, Western States Center (WSC), a 501(c)(3), and Western States Strategies (WSS), a 501(c)(4) affiliate, work nationwide to strengthen inclusive democracy. Since 1987, we’ve played a catalytic role advancing justice by convening, developing, organizing, and supporting the communities most affected by inequities in the West. WSC works with communities and organizations to build movements, develop leaders, shift culture , and defend democracy through a prism of race, gender, justice and equity. We take regional action for national impact and serve as a leading national voice on the threat of white nationalism and anti-democracy movements, equipping local communities and democratic institutions to be resilient in the face of organized bigotry and political violence. About the Fellowship The Confronting White Nationalism in Oregon Schools Fellowship is a pilot professional learning cohort at the Western States Center designed to equip Oregon educators with the knowledge, tools, and community support necessary to protect public education and advance inclusive democracy. At a moment when white and Christian nationalist movements are increasingly targeting schools, school boards, and educators, this fellowship responds with opportunities to build community with other educators and organizations who want to protect public schools. White and Christian nationalism pose both an existential threat to democratic education—by undermining pluralism, inclusivity, and civic trust—and a material threat to schools through harassment, policy and fiscal impacts, and political violence. This fellowship creates structured space for educators to deepen their analysis of these movements while building concrete skills to respond, organize, and lead in their local contexts. Through a cohort model grounded in Oregon’s political, cultural, and geographic realities, participating teachers will strengthen their capacity to recognize organized bigotry, interrupt recruitment pathways, respond to crises, and build school environments where students feel supported. They will then design projects and implement plans to support the creation and maintenance of a community of practice designed to identify and address the threats posed by anti-democracy and authoritarian threats to public education. Requirements The Fellowship will run from May-December 2026. Twice-monthly 90-minute virtual sessions (Zoom) Two in-person retreats focused on collaboration, planning, and applied strategy Participate in discussions around readings, case studies, and other media and guest speakers Design and implement individual and/or group projects rooted in participants’ school and community contexts Examples might include holding a Confronting White Nationalism Training in your community Designing curriculum using information from the sessions Building a new coalition with community organizations active in your community. Or something else! Participate in ongoing coaching and peer support Be a teacher in a public school in Oregon. (Efforts to create geographic diversity in the state will be made). Ability to commit to bi-weekly fellowship meetings to be held on Wednesdays from 4-5:30 pm PST. Ability to commit to 3-5 hours of work per week for Western States Center A demonstrated commitment to racial and gender justice. Enthusiasm about creative approaches to countering white nationalism and approaches that build broad coalitions to deal with the white nationalist movement and defend democracy. Attention to detail and excitement about the nitty-gritty work of organizing and monitoring. Compensation : Fellows will receive a monthly stipend based on 3-5 hours of work per week for a total of $5,000 for the fellowship. Fellows may also receive support for participation in local/regional or national conferences and convening where they share their work. To apply : Please submit your resume and cover letter plus the application questions through this form. The application deadline is May 6th.