ACLU Pauli Murray Fellowship
OVERVIEW
The Pauli Murray Fellowship, founded in honor of activist, legal theorist, author, Episcopal priest, and former ACLU board member Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, is a program to identify Black and other historically underrepresented recent college graduates embarking on their first post-graduate endeavors and provide them with meaningful exposure, access, and training to equip them in expanding and deepening their leadership skills.
Part of the ACLU’s broader Systemic Equality Campaign, the Pauli Murray Fellowship is one avenue through which the ACLU is committing to addressing the legacy of systemic racism and inequality in America. We are committing to a transformative approach to racial justice by investing in and cultivating leadership pathways for fellowship participants.
Launching in fall 2022, the program will sponsor a cohort of three fellows from Black and other historically underrepresented communities as full-time employees of the ACLU for 18-months.
All applications are due by Fri, Jan 14, 2022 by 11:59pm EST
The Pauli Murray Fellowship is the ACLU's first organizational leadership program investing in young leaders from historically underrepresented communities who aspire to address the systemic inequities of our current society. Fellows will work with cross-functional ACLU teams charged with overseeing significant internal initiatives, projects, and priorities - potentially but not limited to the development, communications, and affiliate support departments. Fellows will be matched to and work on a team based on experience and interests. By joining the ACLU, Fellows will work with experienced colleagues, engage in meaningful work, and strengthen and deepen the skills and networks they need to launch their careers.
The ACLU also has legal fellowship opportunities. If you are interested in our legal fellowships or direct advocacy work please click here.
Key features of the Pauli Murray Fellowship:
- Full-time employment, competitive salary, and benefits for 18-months at the ACLU National Headquarters in New York.
- Access to senior leaders and mentors at the ACLU and partner organizations, including career networking opportunities.
- Stipends to expand career and professional development through conferences, coursework, graduate school coaching, etc.
- Skill development in professional communications, organizational strategy, project management, and more.
- Regular roundtables and fireside chats with leaders from inside and outside the ACLU.
- Community with fellows cohort and colleagues.
COMPENSATION
The annual salary for this position is $72,000. This salary is reflective of a position based in New York, NY. This salary will be subject to a locality adjustment (according to a specific city and state), if an authorization is granted to work outside of the location listed in this posting. Note that most of the salaries listed on our job postings reflect New York, NY salaries, where our National offices are headquartered.
TIMELINE
All applications are due by Fri, Jan 14, 2022 by 11:59pm EST
- Interviews: Feb 2022
- (Applicants can expect to hear whether or not they have received an interview by mid-February)
- Final Selection: March 2022
WHO SHOULD APPLY?
This fellowship is for recent college undergraduates (those who have graduated between January 2021 and August 2022). We’ve designed our program to provide Black and other historically underrepresented recent undergraduates access to career opportunities in the nonprofit sector, specifically nonprofits advancing civil rights and civil liberties. Students from all schools, and students who identify with a group that is historically underrepresented in the nonprofit sector, including but not limited to Black, Latinx, Native American, LGBTQ+, women, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.
Minimum qualifications:
- Currently in the last year of or recently graduated from a full-time Associate or Bachelor degree program.
- A demonstrated commitment or interest to leadership, service, civil rights and civil liberties.
- Eligibility to work in the United States for the duration of the program (Sept 2022 - March 2024).
- An 18-month commitment to working at the ACLU from Sept 2022 - March 2024
There is no single “right” major or course of study. We are looking for strong problem solvers with an eagerness to learn, a passion to lead, and commitment to civil rights and civil liberties.
SELECTION CRITERIA
The selection committee will engage in a consistent and holistic review process, with attention to applicants with:
- A demonstrated commitment to sustained leadership and service.
- A commitment to civil liberties, civil rights, and social justice.
- Commitment to the mission of the ACLU.
- No prior connection to the ACLU (via past internships, fellowships, other connections) a plus.
HOW TO APPLY
Please submit the following no later than Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 11:59PM EST:
- A resume (no longer than two pages)
- Two Essays
- Essay 1: How do you foresee using the Pauli Murray Fellowship to help you achieve your future goals? (300 words, Microsoft Document or PDF)
- Essay 2: Personal Statement or Video Essay selected from the prompts below* (written essays no longer than 600 words in a Microsoft Document or PDF OR video essay no longer than 5 minutes).
In your essay, we want to hear your authentic voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, hopes and dreams. There is no “right answer” to these questions — the best answer is the one that is truest for you.
- How are civil rights and civil liberties reflected in your life and aspirations for the future?
- In 1967 in a letter to Dr. Kathryn F. Clarenbach, Chair of the National Board of NOW, Pauli Murray wrote, “And since, as a human being, I cannot allow myself to be fragmented into Negro at one time, woman at another, or worker at another. I must find a unifying principle in all these movements to which I can adhere . . . This, it seems to me, is not only good politics but also may be the price of survival.” How does this quote resonate with you? How have your identities shaped you and inform your future aspirations?
- How is the work of the ACLU meaningful to you?
- What or who inspires you and why?
- Two letters of recommendation: one academic and one character/personal recommendation*
- We want to understand how you would contribute to the ACLU community. Please select two people from your life who could speak meaningfully to those qualities in their recommendations.
- Personal recommendations could be a friend, mentor, or peer but should not include family members.
- We care about the content of the letter, not about the title or status of the person who wrote it. We are far more interested in your motivations than those of your recommender.
- Please make sure that the person writing the recommendation for you uses their own email to send the letter to fellowships@aclu.org. The subject line should read: Pauli Murray Fellow [applicant first name] [last name].
The strongest letters we receive come from Individuals who have interacted with you closely, extensively, and recently (typically in the last two or three years). Those who have observed and can comment, with specific examples, on your progress towards a goal. Character references without supporting evidence, even when highly positive, do not meaningfully improve your candidacy.
*Note: You may not write, draft, edit, translate, or submit the letter of reference. We will require you to affirm in your application that you have not done so.
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