McNeills in Montgomery—Fellows have transformative experience at Equal Justice Initiative

McNeills in Montgomery

Fellows have transformative experience at Equal Justice Initiative

March 17, 2025

Sophomore Luke Donoghue was one of almost a thousand students, faculty, staff, and community members who sat mesmerized as acclaimed public interest attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Bryan Stevenson delivered the Bernie Clark Lecture last October in downtown South Bend. A Notre Dame double major in finance and global affairs from Rockville Centre, New York, Donoghue is part of the second cohort of the McNeill Common Good Fellows. He and the other fellows had just finished reading Stevenson’s book Just Mercy in their Just Life course on theories of justice with Suzanne Shanahan, Leo and Arlene Hawk Executive Director of the Institute, so seeing Stevenson in person was a particularly powerful experience. In fact, it was while listening to Stevenson that Donohue had the idea that a trip to Montgomery and EJI would be a great way to understand first-hand what Stevenson so movingly rendered. Shanahan agreed, and a trip over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend was planned.

*Bryan Stevenson addresses a full house at the Morris Performing Arts Center (Steve Toepp / University of Notre Dame)*

“One of the nice things about the program is that, while there’s a clear structure, it is ever-evolving,” Donoghue reflected. “The professors are very receptive to student’s ideas and interests.”

The whirlwind trip to EJI, which included a visit to the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, was even more affecting than Donaghue and the other ten students in his cohort had anticipated. Both the museum and memorial were opened in 2018 to illustrate how slavery, lynching, and racial segregation continue to shape the United States today.

The fellows also had the opportunity to visit the new EJI sculpture park opened just last year. This unique space seeks to create greater understanding of our shared past while also inspiring action toward a more just future. The time at EJI challenged the McNeill fellows to consider how they can use education as a tool for justice not only at Notre Dame but also wherever they go and whatever they do after Notre Dame.

National Memorial for Peace and Justice Montgomery (AL) 2019 — *National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery (Ron Cogswell / flickr)*

Makeda Grimaud, a neuroscience major and aspiring dentist, explained the impact the trip had on her: “Words cannot express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to learn about our nation’s history at the EJI Legacy Museum in Montgomery. Understanding how slavery has evolved over time and continues to oppress so many today has inspired me to consider how I can most effectively pursue justice for all, especially those in marginalized communities.”

The shared experience of being at EJI was transformative. Majoring in electrical engineering, Priscilla Chau put it this way: “Going to Montgomery and being able to visit EJI’s Legacy Museum and Freedom monument sculpture park was one of the most impactful weekends of my university career. The trip not only strengthened my personal relationships with each McNeill fellow but also truly impacted how I perceive justice, racism, and my life as an American citizen. I had some of the most memorable conversations of my life on this trip.”

*Makeda Grimaud, left, and Natalie Sheridan in front of Nat King Cole mural.*

The day at EJI was not the only highlight of the weekend. Natalie Sherman was named after Nat King Cole who was born in Montgomery and whose mural now stands in tribute there. “The trip to Montgomery was incredible!” Sherman reflected. “It was deeply moving and provided a journey through American history unlike any other—the feelings and takeaways from which I will not forget. It was truly a weekend that will stick out as one of the highlights of my time as a student at Notre Dame and as a McNeill fellow.”

Each spring semester over the long weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the first-year McNeill Fellows retreat to a US city to engage a particular question of justice. Shanahan notes, “I now think Montgomery should be the only place we go each year. I can’t imagine a more powerful and carefully considered overview of the history and legacy of racial injustice in the United States. The insidiousness of structural violence across time in the United States is inescapable. You cannot leave unchallenged or unchanged.”

Launched in 2023, the fellowship now has two cohorts and will be adding a third cohort in the fall. Learn more at the McNeill Common Good Fellows webpage.