Naomi Klein, CCJ Co-Director
In a time of growing oligarchy, authoritarianism, and increased attacks on education, scholarship, information, and facts, Marguerite Casey Foundation (MCF) is proud to announce the 2026 Freedom Scholars: three pioneering scholars whose work is fundamental to movements of freedom and justice that resist this agenda and build a better world.
Launched in 2020 under the leadership of MCF president and CEO Dr. Carmen Rojas, the Freedom Scholars initiative is rooted in the understanding that deeply thoughtful, well-researched, and bold scholarship is essential to achieving a just, free, and functioning democracy, economy, and society for all people, not just the few. However, this critical scholarship is too often underfunded and unprioritized. With Freedom Scholars, MCF seeks to help close this gap for scholars and their transformative work. “As attacks on public education and free speech from our government are surging and billionaires are building technologies that are challenging the ways we learn, think, and work, I am incredibly proud to announce the 2026 Freedom Scholars cohort,” said Rojas. “Each Freedom Scholar is engaged in work to shift power to communities who have long been excluded from having it. They’re shining light on a path to a more just future where everyone has what they need to live a good life. Today, this work is more important than ever.”
Freedom Scholars conduct research in varied cutting-edge fields, such as feminist prison abolition, global urbanism, alternatives to movement capture, Indigenous erasure, and militarized policing. Each Freedom Scholar receives an unrestricted $250,000 award to use as they see fit. Since its launch, 42 scholars have participated in the program, including Robin D. G. Kelley, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, Mariame Kaba, Dean Spade, and Barbara Ransby. Each scholar goes through an invite-only selection process. Submissions and nominations are not accepted.
The 2026 Freedom Scholars Are:
- Naomi Klein — A leading voice exploring political transformation in moments of crisis, and how emergencies—from economic collapse to ecological disasters—can function as a catalyst to advance movements for justice.
- Professor Veena Dubal — The legal scholar and advocate whose work explores how emerging technologies and legal regimes shape workers’ lives and deepen economic precarity.
- Dr. Durba Mitra — A feminist historian and theorist whose work bridges feminist political thought, gender and sexuality studies, and global history to build a framework to combat authoritarianism and forward movements of collective justice.
To learn more about the 2026 scholars, see the fact sheet HERE.
For interviews, profiles, or commentary on the 2026 Freedom Scholars, contact:
grace@theworkeragency.com.
