In their freshman year, Witt Fellows engage in an in-depth study of the issues impacting the Black Belt and apply their academic and leadership skills to the development of detailed action plans modeled off of professional grant applications. Projects developed for the Black Belt Experience are co-created with insight and support by Perry County residents — often community leaders in economic development, education, healthcare and cultural expression — and are designed to approach the stated needs of Marion and the surrounding areas. With additional mentoring by subject-area experts at UA, Witt Fellows' action plans become vibrant living documents, underpinned with academic research and the expertise of those living in Perry County. When finals time rolls around in the spring, Witt Fellows submit their carefully-crafted action plans to close out their academic year… but when spring semester ends, the Experience begins. 

The WUFP believes that what happens in the classroom cannot stay in the classroom — and, after their year of study into the American social support system, Alabama's history and contemporary outlook, theories of ethical community development, and project design and management, Witt Fellows apply these lessons in the month of May as they are welcomed to the city of Marion to begin executing their action plans. On the surface, the Black Belt Experience represents service engagement with our partner community. However, the real magic lies deeper as students learn from the residents of Perry County the profound truths about daily life in West Alabama, the joys and struggles of contemporary community development work, the enduring cultural impact of Black Belt artists and activists, and the path to identifying personal strengths and passions in the interest of connecting them to a grander purpose. 

Witt Fellows live and work in Marion alongside their local project partners, contributing to ongoing action in the city in areas of education and youth outreach, healthcare, community and economic development, and arts and culture. Projects vary year by year, but Fellows consistently leap into their work with both feet — whether they are heading up leadership academies for local students, creating exhibits for museums and showcases in Perry County, supporting health screenings and education by homegrown public health non-profits, or rolling up their sleeves to prepare vacant downtown buildings for new tenants. But the Experience doesn't stop there! 

In addition to their hands-on work in Perry County, Witt Fellows travel the Alabama Black Belt to learn more about the history and culture of the region, contemporary community development efforts across West Alabama, and the wonders of its natural resources and artistic output. Whether Fellows are soaking in the wisdom of civil rights footsoldiers in Selma, discovering the daily lives of historical Alabamians of all backgrounds in the ruins of Moundville and Old Cahawba, digesting the message and mission of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, admiring and learning from the reciprocal relationships between Auburn Rural Studio or Project Horseshoe Farm and their communities in and around Greensboro, delighting in the works of the Gee's Bend Quilters and Charlie "Tin Man" Lucas, or cradling endangered Cahaba mollusks at the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, each student leaves their Black Belt Experience not only a more capable leader in all their future communities, but also a thoughtful and well-informed ambassador for the state they have chosen as their educational home. 

All of this brings a cohort of Fellows to a new environment and new situation away from campus, where they are encouraged and enabled to reflect critically on their own sense of personal purpose, their ability to work as partners with one another and with professionals beyond UA faculty, their deeper understanding of Alabama's natural and cultural landscape, and the power of informed engagement as local change agents in an increasingly global world. It is no wonder that Fellows from all cohorts have pointed to the Black Belt Experience as a uniquely transformative period in their development as leaders, scholars, and citizens! 

The Black Belt Experience could not exist without the consistent hospitality and investment of members of the Perry County community. It is critical to stress that Marion is not a laboratory for our students: it is the vibrant home of thousands of passionate Alabamians. While our students annually lend their hands, minds and hearts to ongoing work in the county, that work is led by local residents with invaluable personal experience and expertise in their community. Fellows do service in Marion — but what they receive in return is an education that changes their lives, often in the businesses, institutions and homes of our local partners. We encourage those of you willing to contribute to this campaign to learn more about Marion and Perry County and to consider a visit to the area. Its outsized role in the Civil Rights Movement and the development of Alabama's educational landscape only begins to scratch the surface of the impact its residents have made on Alabama, U.S. and world history, and modern movements in Perry County represent an astonishing example of local investment and resilience. 

We cannot thank our partners enough for the ways they have poured into Fellows and the WUFP, and naming even a long list will exclude countless others who managed to shape our students while building their home. Still, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of our partners, including Sowing Seeds of Hope, the Lincoln Normal Association, Marion Military Institute, the Judson College family, Francis Marion School, Marion Academy, Breakthrough Charter, the Perry County Extension Office, Project Horseshoe Farm and Main Street Marion, among so many more organizations and individuals who make the Black Belt Experience possible.