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Rustin Fellowship

From October 9–12, we brought together 25 young advocates from across Georgia for the second annual IGNYTE Symposium and Advocacy Academy—and honestly, it was giving future movement leaders. Built with the inaugural cohort of the Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship and the Advisory Board of the Rustin Institute (formerly the LGBTQ+ Institute), IGNYTE is where history, strategy, community, and action collide.

For IGNYTE 2026, we’re leveling up: welcoming up to 40 Rustin Fellows (formerly GYAF) as we expand our youth leadership pipeline across Georgia and the U.S. South. And yes, when we say “youth,” we mean it expansively. More and more research shows that leadership development shouldn’t stop at 18 or even 25. The part of the brain responsible for decision-making, long-term planning, emotional regulation, and navigating complexity keeps developing through our late 20s and, for many people, into age 30. That means your 20s aren’t a “too late” era—they’re often when people are becoming the most grounded, strategic, and powerful versions of themselves.

Applications for the 2026–27 Rustin Fellows cohort open June 1, 2026.

Hosted at the powerful and inspiring National Center for Civil and Human Rights, the two-day in-person academy will explore LGBTQ+ movement history, today’s legislative landscape, and the art of changing hearts and minds through David Fleischer’s Deep Canvassing model—a game-changing approach to having real conversations across political difference.

And the experience doesn’t end after October. Fellows will stay connected all year long through FREE monthly virtual sessions, building skills, community, and confidence throughout the 2026–27 academic year. Because leadership isn’t something you age out of—it’s something you grow into.

Our inaugural 2024-25 cohort

(Formally Georgia Youth Advocacy Fellowship)

Our GYAF 2025-26 Coordinators

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Tim’m West

Atlanta, Georgia
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Tyrique Wilson

Atlanta, Georgia
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Amore Sierra Cano

Atlanta, Georgia
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Evan Malbrough

Washington, D.C.

Who are our advocates?

Our first cohort drew young adults from all over the state with about half being in the Atlanta metro area and the other half from across Georgia, as well as students, young professionals, creatives, and advocates who call Georgia home, but reside elsewhere.

In 2026, as we transition to the Rustin Fellows, we still concentrate our leadership development in the U.S. South (especially Georgia) but are expanding to include young adults nationally. Our current cohort has representation from North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington (state), Washington, DC.

  • 4 Corners, 1 People: Connectedness Across the Black Diaspora

    06.14 12:00-3:30PM

    Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs

    504 Fair St. SW, Atlanta, GA 30313

    $10 suggested donation

    Registration required

    An intimate conversation series bringing together Black voices from across the diaspora to explore connectedness, belonging, and community through dialogue, brunch, and shared experience.

  • AIDS WALK ATLANTA & MUSIC FESTIVAL

    09.26 All Day

    Piedmont Park Atlanta, GA

    Free to participate

    Registration required

    Join our team!

    A 34-year Atlanta tradition bringing together the community for a 5K walk and live music festival in support of HIV education, prevention, and care across Greater Atlanta.

Our 2025-26 Fellows

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