The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is seeking a team of highly motivated individuals for its 2024 Summer Fellowship Program! 

​

The AAPF Summer Fellowship is a ten-week remote fellowship starting Monday, June 10, 2024 and ending Friday, August 16, 2024. Fellows will gain first-hand experience in non-profit think tank operations, gaining insight into advocacy, research, and policy analysis. Fellows will work full time (35-40 hrs/wk). A stipend will be provided. Due to the remote nature of this opportunity, fellows must have their own computer and internet access. 
 

About AAPF

Founded in 1996, The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is an innovative think tank that connects academics, activists, and policy makers to promote efforts to dismantle structural inequality. We utilize new ideas and innovative perspectives to transform public discourse and policy. We promote frameworks and strategies that address a vision of racial justice that embraces the intersections of race, gender, class, and the array of barriers that disempower those who are marginalized in society. AAPF is dedicated to advancing and expanding racial justice, gender equality, and the indivisibility of all human rights, both in the U.S. and internationally.

​

About AAPF’s Summer 2023 Fellowship Program

AAPF’s 2023 Summer Fellowship Program is a project-based program committed to providing meaningful research and advocacy opportunities to dedicated individuals. Fellows will be assigned to specific AAPF campaigns and initiatives most aligned with their academic background, interests and professional experiences. Fellows will work closely with project leads and members of the AAPF team to advance work related to their assigned project(s). Under the mentorship and guidance of the program director and other leadership, Fellows will have the opportunity, as well as the responsibility, to explore areas of personal and professional interests. 

​
 

Duties and Responsibilities Include: 

• Full participation in brainstorming sessions with the AAPF team;

• Preparing communications such as memos, emails, newsletters, reports, and other correspondence;

• Contributing to AAPF initiatives and campaigns through research, program planning, and/or digital media;

• Assisting in production of AAPF’s events, retreats, and outward facing programming;

• Supporting the Executive Director and other leadership for various projects such as speech-writing, media appearance preparation, and op-eds.

 

The Ideal Candidate should have:

• Exemplary undergraduate,  graduate or post-doc standing;

• Portfolio of skills-based work if applicable;

• Scholarly understanding of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality;

• Familiarity with Kimberlé Crenshaw's work;

• Familiarity with AAPF’s programs and initiatives;

• Strong organizational, multi-tasking, and prioritizing skills;

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite;

• Basic proficiency in social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.);

• Experience in multidisciplinary research;

• The ability to work independently as well as collaboratively in a dynamic environment;

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills;

• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills. 

 

We encourage applicants to highlight these experiences as well as any others they would like to share to strengthen their application.

 

Projects

CRT Summer School

Critical Race Theory (CRT) Summer School is designed to recover the broad insights and commitments of CRT and Intersectionality in this highly politicized yet potentially transformative moment. This year’s summer school will feature sessions that provide a foundational understanding of CRT and Intersectionality with a particular focus on current legislation and its impact in educational settings. During the five-day conference, faculty and instructors will demonstrate how CRT and Intersectionality exist in efforts to foreground the many ways that social power and inequality are produced. The sessions will highlight the ways that CRT and Intersectionality serve as critical tools that render the dismantling of racism both urgent and imaginable.

 

Fellows assigned to this project may work in the following areas:

• Administration and Project Management

• Research and Writing

• Data Collection

• Outreach and Community Engagement

• Event/Program Management

 

Digital & Social Media

AAPF utilizes online and social media platforms to distribute information, engage our followers and donors, and provide valuable tools and resources to the wider public. Digital platforms are integral to the expansion and success of all AAPF campaigns and initiatives. The Digital and Social Media Fellows will support the digital media staff to develop social media strategy,  implement outreach, and design promotional campaigns that boost engagement and visibility for the organization.

 

Fellows assigned to this project may work in the following areas:

• Social Media Management

• Digital Storytelling

• External Communications

• Audio Video Production

• Graphic Design

• Audio Podcast Production

​

Race and Gender Equity Initiatives

The Race and Gender Equity Research Consortium is a research and policy hub that gives attention to the conceptual limitations that reproduce the marginalization of women and girls of color. In collaboration with partners, the Consortium would produce research and policy analysis to enhance the well-being of women, and girls, and femmes of color. It will provide educational opportunities to graduate students; offer training, program design and implementation services to organizations and companies seeking intersectional approaches to address intersectional problems; and serve as a clearing house for intersectional research and best practices. In addition to work with Consortium partners, AAPF team members contribute to the consortium through work on the #SayHerName Campaign, Black Girls Matter initiative, Young Scholars Program, and other partnership projects.

 

Fellows assigned to this project may work in the following areas:

• Qualitative and Quantitative Research

• Creative Writing

• Administration and Project Management

• Strategic Planning and Visioning

• Program and Curriculum Development

• Outreach and Community Engagement

​

#TRUTHBETOLD/BOOKS UNBANNED: FROM FREEDOM RIDERS TO FREEDOM READERS

AAPF launched the #TruthBeTold campaign in October 2020, a coalitional initiative to push back against Executive Order 13950 and the effort to silence those who seek to hold honest conversations about the implications of America's unequal past. Even after the Order’s rescission, the war on racial and gender justice rages on in statehouses and schools across the country. Anti-equality groups have intensified well-funded, orchestrated campaigns against critical race theory, intersectionality, and other public discussions of racial and gender justice. Through public education and advocacy, #TruthBeTold counters the suppression of honest conversations about our nation’s history and the unfinished quest for equality.

 

In October 2022, the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) partnered with the Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) on a bus tour to mobilize “10 Million More Black Voters” in order to fight back against book bans across the country with a new campaign – From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers: The Books Unbanned Tour. On our two-week bus tour from Minneapolis to Jacksonville we distributed thousands of banned books and spoke with engaged citizens about the dangers of censorship to our hopes for justice and the promise of democracy. From this the Books Unbanned: From Freedom Riders to Freedom Readers Book Clubs was created. It is intended to educate, enlighten, and empower all ages to engage in reading and critical thinking about invaluable pieces of literature and contemporary issues. Honoring the sacrifice and commitment of the Freedom Riders who risked their lives in pursuit of civil justice, we come together as Freedom Readers to create a long-lasting impact to build open and inclusive learning communities that together will shore up the foundations of multiracial democracy.

 

Fellows assigned to this project may be assigned to work in the following areas:

• Administration and Project Management

• Research and Writing

• Qualitative and Quantitative Research

• Outreach and Community Engagement

• Policy Tracking and Analysis

• Media Analysis

• Community Organizing

• Program and Curriculum Development

 

The Forum 

In the spring of 2022, AAPF officially launched The Forum, an online publication of news and commentary from a critical race theory perspective. To support its robust publication goals in an evolving news environment, The Forum is seeking assistance from fellows across a broad range of pursuits—from plotting out coverage plans on the site to fact-checking posts prior to publication to copy-editing and proofreading articles for the site to contributing ideas and posts.

 

Fellows assigned to this project may work in the following areas:

• Marketing and Branding/Social Media

• Editorial Research and Fact-checking

• Copywriting and Copyediting

• Digital Media and Graphic Design

 

Submission Instructions
 

Eligible candidates should access the application here. You will be prompted to provide your cover letter, a relevant writing sample of 3-5 pages (or relevant representation of your skill, i.e. graphic art, media clippings, etc.), a 250-word statement as to why you are interested in the work, and two professional references. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis with a final due date of Sunday, March 31st at 8:00p.m ET/5:00p.m. PT.

 

Please feel free to circulate this description and application to your networks!

​

 

AAPF is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value a diverse workplace that strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply.

 

AAPF does not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination with respect to race, religion, color, social or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions), age, physical, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by local, state, or federal laws.