About Kimberlé Crenshaw

Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw is a pioneering scholar and writer on civil rights, Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, Black feminist legal theory, and race, racism and the law. She is the Executive Director and President of the African American Policy Forum (AAPF), the Isidor and Seville Sulzbacher Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, and a Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work has been foundational in Critical Race Theory and in Intersectionality, a term she coined to describe how overlapping or intersecting social identities, particularly minority identities, relate to systems and structures of oppression,, domination, or discrimination. Through AAPF, which she co-founded, Crenshaw co-authored Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women, which documented and drew attention to the killing of Black women and girls by police. Crenshaw and AAPF launched the #SayHerName campaign in 2014 to call attention to police violence against Black women and girls.  With the ongoing attack on CRT, the banning of books from schools and libraries, and the censoring of the AP African American Studies course, she has become a national figure in the defense of our multiracial democracy. 

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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.

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Position Description

We are seeking a Communications Leader to strategically manage and grow Executive Director Crenshaw’s portfolio of earned media, owned content and thought leadership opportunities, in alignment with the mission and values of AAPF.  The Head of Communications, Executive Advisor will manage the Executive Director’s communications needs while developing a strategic communications plan to support the strategic direction at AAPF. 

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the Head of Communications, Executive Advisor will be responsible for the day-to-day proactive and responsive media engagement, will serve as a counselor on political issues and crisis management, and will be dedicated to the work of racial and gender justice, with a long-term strategic view of how to translate subject-matter expertise on Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory to the contemporary, evolving needs of the movement.

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Roles and Responsibilities:

 

Executive Communications and Thought Leadership (50%)

• Continue to expand and sustain a strategic communications plan for Executive Director Crenshaw, with the goal of ultimately connecting it to a broader communications plan and communications operations for AAPF;

• Manage priority relationships with high-profile external partners, on behalf of the Executive Director and AAPF, for initiatives that are centered on communications and public awareness;

• Vet incoming speaking and media opportunities for the Executive Director, sharing a strong point of view on the costs and benefits of each opportunity, while also taking a strategic, proactive approach of proposing and seeking out speaking and media opportunities that best meet her objectives;

• Proactively pitch the Executive Director for interview in response to current events that connect to her expertise and will help move the needle on national political discourse;

• Manage the Executive Director’s owned content portfolio, overseeing a social media content creation process, as well as collaborate with her on the ideation and execution of longer-form content pieces, such as essays, letters to supporters and Op-Eds including first drafts while the team is being built;

• Manage the creation of media-supportive assets, such as talking points, briefing documents and one-pagers to prepare the Executive Director for externally facing communications opportunities.

• Serve as the internal, centralized point person within AAPF for the Executive Director’s communications portfolio, establishing a clear process for responding to requests and current events to secure information from internal subject matter experts and formulate that information into externally facing communications assets;

• Provide strong, proactive and responsive counsel for political issues and crisis management, with a keen understanding of the current landscape of extremism and disinformation and also how Black women leaders are treated and portrayed by the media.

 

Strategic Brand Communications (50%)

• Work in close collaboration with other leadership to develop and implement a strategic communications plan to support the needs and vision of AAPF;

• Develop and promote a cohesive identity for AAPF’s brand and leadership that positions the organization as a thought leader in the field and ensures consistent messaging across the organization;

• Generate positive and extensive media coverage of AAPF and its many projects, events, initiatives, etc., to raise the profile of the organization;

• Develop a media plan for messaging, including press releases and outreach to various publications/journalists to expand AAPF’s reach;

• Build a communications team that includes but is not limited to media specialists, a digital team, writers and other communications experts as needed.​

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Qualifications:

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• College degree or relevant experience;

• Minimum of 10-15 years of experience in communications or journalism;

• Experience building and implementing a strategic communications plan with an emphasis on executive communications;

• Demonstrated success supporting a principal through complex situations, crisis and major media moments;

• A strong commitment to the issues of racial justice and democracy, the scholarship of the Executive Director and the mission of AAPF;

• Experience in managing communications for a principal in the government, non-profit, issue-advocacy or political sectors preferred;

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with sophisticated understanding of audience and how to  communicate effectively and consistently across diverse groups;

• Detail-oriented and curious about the intersections of racial justice and modern politics, with an established comfort in discussing and navigating difficult, sensitive topics and events;

• An understanding of the current media landscape, as well as knowledge of public policy issues critical to the mission, including but not limited to: public education, law, social and racial justice, the Civil Rights movement, truthful history and the roots of political violence against marginalized communities;

• Experience with dealing with traditional media and social media, and how to optimize a prominent voice across channels;

• An existing rolodex of national reporters and reporters at Black outlets preferred;

• Ability to work under stress and meet deadlines in response to rapidly evolving developments and current events; 

• Flexibility to work some evenings or weekends, as appropriate and needed;

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Suite.

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Compensation and Location

Salary will be commensurate with experience, falling within the range of $140,000 - $175,000.

 

This full-time permanent position is temporarily remote with a likely transition into an in-office role at AAPF’s New York City location. 

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To apply:

Amy Segelin at Chaloner is managing this search (amy@chaloner.com). Interested candidates should apply by using the application form linked here. Chaloner will review all applicants and, upon qualification, contact you to determine next steps.

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AAPF recognizes that, in particular, members of underrepresented groups may not apply for roles when they feel they do not meet the requirements in full. We encourage interested applicants to apply if they meet most of the qualifications listed in this posting.

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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.