The American Civil Liberties Union launched its new Pauli Murray Fellowship today, a leadership development program designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in civil rights and liberties. The goal of the program is to create new pathways and provide access, exposure, and training to Black and other historically underrepresented recent college graduates aspiring to become leaders in the nonprofit sector. This fellowship is part of the ACLU’s larger Systemic Equality agenda, which aims to address systemic racism and racial inequalities in America through transformative action.
The Pauli Murray Fellowship is the ACLU’s first fellowship that will work across ACLU teams and will be charged with overseeing large, internal initiatives and projects — potentially but not limited to the development, communications, and affiliate support departments. Fellows will be matched with a team based on experience and interests, and the fellowship program will begin in fall 2022.
“When the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray served on the ACLU national board of directors, Murray carved out an intersectional approach to civil rights discourse that still shapes the ACLU’s work to this day,” said Anthony Romero, ACLU executive director. “Now, we are excited to honor this impact by addressing the barriers to access in the nonprofit space many marginalized communities face. We are thrilled to launch the Pauli Murray Fellowship and to help the next generation of civil rights leaders grow and thrive professionally and personally.”
This fellowship is open to recent college undergraduates (those who have graduated between winter 2021 and summer 2022) from all schools who identify with a group that is historically underrepresented in the nonprofit and civil liberties space, including but not limited to Black, Latinx, Native American, LGBTQ+, women, students with disabilities, and veterans.
Key features of the fellowship include:
- Full-time employment, $72K salary, and benefits for 18 months at the ACLU national headquarters
- Skill development in professional communications, organizational strategy, project management, and more
- Individual mentors at the organization, carefully selected for each fellow
- Stipends to expand career and professional development outside of the ACLU through conferences, coursework, graduate school coaching, etc.
- Access to senior leaders and mentors at the ACLU and partner organizations, including career networking opportunities and graduate school coaching
- Regular roundtables and fireside chats with leaders from inside and outside the ACLU
- Ongoing mentorship, guidance, and resources on their post-fellowship initiatives
- Community with fellowship cohort and colleagues
In its inaugural year, the program will sponsor a cohort of three fellows from Black and historically underrepresented communities as full-time employees for 18 months, investing in and cultivating leadership pathways for fellow participants.
“Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray’s vision for an equitable world left an indelible impact on the civil rights space,” said Rosita Stevens-Holsey, Pauli Murray family ambassador. “I’m thrilled to have my Aunt Pauli’s legacy honored through a program that will help shape growing leaders who will follow in my aunt’s footsteps.”
The deadline to apply for the Pauli Murray Leadership Fellowship is Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, by 11:59 p.m. ET.
Learn more, and find the application here: https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/the-pauli-murray-fellowship-investing-in-the-next-generation-of-leaders?redirect=paulimurray
This statement is online at: https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/aclu-launches-new-fellowship-program-black-and-underrepresented-students
Photo credit: Boys and Girls Club of Harlem students.
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