GLOBAL institute for leadership

An international gathering place focused on leadership, education, innovation and understanding, placed upon the sacred soil that gave rise to the modern Civil Rights Movement. 

OUR INSPIRATION

In the autumn of 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, a local seamstress and two young men new to the city, one the minister of a small congregation and the other a newly appointed federal judge, were placed center stage, destined to change the arc of history. The call for social justice, civic engagement and courageous leadership continues today, with the Global Institute for Leadership serving as an international educational resource for current and future generations to build upon the courage of Rosa Parks, the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the decisions of Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. The principles of freedom and justice are the common threads of our American experience; without one, we cannot experience the other. 

OUR global CALLING

Turn on the news, pick up a paper or scan the latest headlines on your social media feeds and it becomes immediately apparent that we cannot sit idly by while the lessons of the past are challenged on a daily basis. A review of the international landscape reveals the need for a nonpolitical presentation of the historic and ongoing struggle for human rights. Currently, no modern facility exists that combines an educational and interpretive center for human dignity, mutual respect and equal justice with an academic institution that provides students with leadership skills for the 21st century. This review has become a call to action for the creation of an international Institute in Nashville to serve the citizenry of the world. More than a mere destination, the Institute will be a catalyst for connecting cities around the world to new ideas and insights concerning human and civil rights. The Global Institute for Leadership welcomes public engagement, listening with respect, arguing on substance, and working together for achievable positive change — to bridge the divisions in a divided world. As a gateway to America’s civil rights trail, and with the Institute's ability to connect students, teachers, and scholars through a global digital humanities initiative, our impact will be felt far beyond the United States. 

OUR mission

The Global Institute for Leadership will be a groundbreaking institution in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, that links the cultural anchors and legacies of the city’s renowned civil rights history with exploring contemporary issues that exist today — while activating and inspiring emerging leaders from around the world. The Institute will be an interdisciplinary center of public engagement and dialogue, supporting scholarship, research, community outreach, and digital initiatives grounded in innovative visual storytelling and immersive exhibits. By encouraging a deeper understanding of the past, the Global Institute for Leadership will inspire and equip current and future generations to become catalysts for active change.

The Institute will serve as a dynamic resource and creative hub, offering grants for institutions as well as individual research fellowships, residencies, and scholarships for outstanding candidates in the arts and humanities, science and technology, law and public policy, medicine, public health, entrepreneurship, education, military, athletics, and in the faith community, while encouraging greater outreach and dialogue with the judicial and law enforcement sectors. A global fellowship program focusing on youth and emerging activists will enable participants to join the Institute for semester, summer, or week-long programs – emphasizing strategic and creative thinking, character development, personal empowerment, imagination and innovation, team building, and problem-solving – across issues of contemporary leadership. A particular education initiative will introduce elementary and secondary school groups to these problem-solving exercises as part of their wider civics and social studies, arts, and technology curriculum. The Institute believes that literacy is a fundamental human right and is the foundation for lifelong learning, is essential to social development, and has the capacity to transform lives.

The Institute’s Rotunda Theater, a centerpiece for its public programs, will serve as a Town Hall space for the city-at-large, a public stage to exchange and generate ideas through constructive discussion and debate. The theater will be a technological marvel, with a fully-immersive projection capability and a state-of-the-art system that creates a theatrical environment at any time of day. This enables the space to present a high-level “orientation experience” highlighting the Institute’s mission and global connections. The theater will also host film and documentary screenings, as well as symposiums on contemporary issues.

Through its programming and academic commitments, the Institute will highlight the arts, emerging technologies, and faith as powerful catalysts for social change. Through its global multi-disciplinary speaker programs, thought-provoking artistic programs and performances, and innovative multimedia exhibits, the Institute will engage a diverse range of influential and emerging leaders, working to inspire and educate local, national, and international audiences. As a primary hub and a gateway to America’s civil rights trail, the Institute will also connect visitors to key historic sites and institutions across Tennessee, and throughout the nation.

our future

Drawing from both iconic and underrepresented stories of the heroic men, women, and children who shaped the civil rights movement, the Institute will establish programs that further a global dialogue toward greater civic engagement, equality, innovation, and social justice. In the 21st century, these themes align with a wide range of issues, from civic leadership and character development to advocacy for equality and human rights to causes that encompass access to quality education and public health, security and privacy, environmental justice, climate change, urban investment, economic security, women’s empowerment, victim’s rights, religious freedom, to reforms in law enforcement, judicial and incarceration systems. As a resource hub and multi-platform events venue, the Institute will organize and host engaging and inspiring programs in collaboration with local, national, and international institutions. There will be an emphasis on creating a global dialogue featuring a wide range of voices and views from a range of perspectives and enlightened viewpoints.

Academic partnerships and affiliations will play a key role in ensuring the scholarly resources, public engagement, and long-term sustainability of the Institute through collaborative faculty and student initiatives. The Institute will actively network with acclaimed universities, colleges, and academic programs. And through a digital humanities initiative and study abroad programs, the Institute will link to academic and institutional partners across the nation and the globe. The Institute will establish a collaborative workspace and community of innovators to build businesses together that nurture young entrepreneurs and their startups. A Graduate Center of Leadership, Public Policy, and Entrepreneurship will be constructed alongside the Institute with an initial residency of 500 to 1,000 students and faculty.

The Institute will examine issues of advocacy, leadership, and civic action by literally bringing the world to its door, a roster of live performances, readings, and lectures. Using high-definition real-time streaming, these living dialogues can be shared with audiences around the world.

Now, more than ever, we need to continue to amplify the lessons taught to us by the pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement, to be a catalyst for continuing dialogue on human and civil rights. But we need your help to make this dream possible. We have the opportunity to create a living legacy for future generations, to build a bridge from our past to a brighter future. 

The Global Institute for Leadership will not only create a new focal point for meaningful dialogue internationally, but it will also have a substantial impact on Tennessee. It will be an economic engine with the ability to change the perception of Tennessee in the eyes of the world and have a lasting economic impact that will be measured in jobs, growth, and greater prosperity for all Tennesseans.

More than a history lesson, the Global Institute for Leadership will truly be a catalyst for positive change in complicated times. Join us in our mission to help freedom and justice ring in Tennessee and around the world.

GLOBAL INSTITUTE ADVISORY COUNCIL