Writing with Juliet Iwelunmor

We love grants. We see them as work done from the head to the heart of the matter. We deplore anything and anyone that diminishes it possibilities. I share this because grants changed my life. They opened doors that were tremendously liberating and nourishing. They are also a way of life. I begin this year wondering about their possibilities. With the current climate, many things about grants as we know them have changed. What drives my love for grants is the need to use them to address the needs of people and communities often not included or allowed a seat at the table. For me it’s always a way to probe into the unknown about health. We also didn’t write them for theories or frameworks or whatever else people purse about their research. We wrote them for the need to make open and visible what would work when people intentionally start with the end in mind. They keep alive in us, the capacity to resist, to imagine, and change. It’s for this reason we are keep this thing we love.