The ACLU seeks a Pauli Murray Fellow in the Communications Department of the ACLU’s National office in New York. This is a hybrid role that has in-office requirements of two (2) days per week or eight (8) days per month. This is an eighteen-month term limited position.

OVERVIEW

ACLU’s Pauli Murray Fellowship was founded 2022 in honor of the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray – activist, legal theorist, author, Episcopal priest, and former ACLU board member. The fellowship invests in and cultivates leadership pathways for individuals who have overcome systemic barriers to achievement to support development of future leaders. Target participants are those aspiring to make full-time entry into nonprofit organizations with a passion to advance civil rights and civil liberties. Those selected will embedded within an ACLU cross-functional department and charged with overseeing critical internal initiatives, projects, and priorities. They receive meaningful exposure, access, and training to enhance and broaden their professional skills. This fellowship will begin in mid-January 2027 for 18-months.

THE TEAM:

The ACLU Communications & Marketing department creates, maintains, and expands message narratives to engage our supporters and other target audiences, to help protect and expand civil liberties and civil rights, and illustrate the value and impact of the ACLU’s transformational work. Through our messaging, engagement with newsmakers, our written content, creative branding, and visual identity, we encourage support for the ACLU and help to build a more perfect union.

YOUR DAY TO DAY:

The Pauli Murray Fellow will play a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies that advance the ACLU’s work on civil liberties and civil rights across all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The Fellow will work towards a cohesive audience experience across national and affiliate channels on priority issues and major moments and strengthen the ability for nearly 200 communications, marketing and digital staff nationwide to work together.

You will use your knowledge of advocacy communications combined with organizational skills to create resources for affiliate staff and enhance our nationwide communications staff community through:

• Development and distribution of weekly rapid response communications resource digest and occasional ad hoc digests around critical moments such as Supreme Court decisions and elections.
• Partner with other nationwide comms staff and affiliate advisors to facilitate and set agendas for monthly nationwide communications staff calls.
• Partner with other nationwide comms staff to maintain resources related to the ACLU’s issue areas and functional resources to support excellence on a range of communications channels such as earned media, social media, graphic design and multimedia, and websites.
• Support community building across the ACLU communications network though virtual meetings, staff introductions via email and intranet tools, and other forums.

Capstone Project

With the knowledge and skills the Fellow gains over the course of the program, they will complete a capstone project that explores how to best leverage the national scale and affiliate infrastructure to grow the ACLU’s list of supporters, deepen relationships with existing supporters and ultimately increase the ACLU’s capacity for influencing laws and policy. The capstone project will involve:

• Discussing and defining needs with national and affiliate teams
• Defining roles between national and affiliate teams to maximize impact
• Mapping ACLU communications tools and tactics in ways that support our goals
• Adapting general documentation and resources to make campaign-specific guides.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING:

While you may not possess all the qualifications outlined, successful candidates will bring many of the following attributes:

• Proactive and self-reliant with proven experience successfully managing multiple and competing priorities
• Familiarity with communications tactics — such as working with press and media outlets, social media, or creative campaigns that use graphics and videos — in the context of advocacy and educational campaigns.
• Ability to take complex instructions or information and make it easy for people to use in their everyday work.
• Intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office (specifically Word, Excel and Outlook)
• Familiarity with a WYSIWYG web publishing platform is a plus.

FUTURE ACLU-ERS WILL

• Be committed to advancing the mission of the ACLU
• Center and embed the principles of equity, inclusion and belonging in their work by demonstrating commitment to diversity with an approach that respects and values multiple perspectives
• Be committed to work collaboratively and respectfully toward resolving obstacles and conflict

KEY COMPONENTS OF THE PAULI MURRAY FELLOWSHIP

• Full-time employment, $78,000 annual salary, and benefits for 18 months at the ACLU National Headquarters in New York.
• Skill development in key functions such as professional communications, organizational strategy, project management, and more. These transferrable skills will support participants in their pursuit of future leadership roles.
• Stipends to expand career and professional development through conferences, coursework, graduate school coaching, etc.
• Access to leaders and mentors at the ACLU including career networking opportunities.
• A trip to a historical site where the fellows can deepen their understanding and learn more on the ongoing challenges related to systemic barriers.
• A capstone project developed with support from a mentor that allows participants to practically apply their academic skills.
• Community with fellows and colleagues.

Acquired Skills Include

Your experience as a Pauli Murray Fellow with the Communications department will strengthen your skills in the following areas:

• Developing strategic communications campaigns to further advocacy goals.
• Understanding communications channels and tactics and connecting them with common advocacy audiences and goals.
• Developing internal communications campaigns as well as resource and training development
• Project management with a wide range of stakeholders and information management across several projects simultaneously.
• Facilitating both large-group information sharing meetings and small group project-specific meetings.

WHY THE ACLU

For over 100 years, the ACLU has worked to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. Whether it’s ending mass incarceration, achieving full equality for the LGBTQ+ community, establishing new privacy protections for our digital age, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people.

OUR COMMITMENT TO EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Equity, diversity, and inclusion are core values of the ACLU and central to our work to advance liberty, equality, and justice for all. For us diversity, equity and inclusion are not just check-the-box activities, but a chance for us to make long-term meaningful change. We are a community committed to learning and growth, humility and grace, transparency and accountability. We believe in a collective responsibility to create a culture of belonging for all people within our organization – one that respects and embraces difference; treats everyone equitably; and empowers our colleagues to do the best work possible. We are as committed to anti-oppression and anti-racism internally as we are externally. Because whether we’re in the courts or in the office, we believe ‘We the People’ means all of us.

With this commitment in mind, we strongly encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

If you have a need and require assistance during the application process, please let us know by completing the applicant accommodations form

The Department of Education has determined that employment in this position at the ACLU does not qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

SELECTION TIMELINE:

All applications are due by Monday, November 9th, 2026 by 11:59pm EST

• Interviews: First week of December 2026
• (Applicants can expect to hear whether or not they have received an interview by mid November)
• Final Selection: End of December 2026

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

Individuals making their entry into the nonprofit sector full-time, overcoming systemic barriers to achievement, are encouraged to apply—especially those with a fresh perspective and a commitment to our mission.

Minimum qualifications:

• College graduate by September 2026 seeking entry-level role
• 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 (January 2027 - July 2028).
• An 18-month, Mon-Fri full-time commitment to working at the ACLU from January 2027 - July 2028

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.

This fellowship primarily focuses on organizational leadership, emphasizing the operational aspects of an organization. If you are interested in our legal fellowships or direct advocacy work please click here.

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 demonstrated resilience in the face of systemic barriers or adversity.
• 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 Monday, November 9th, 2026 by 11:59pm EST

• A resume (no longer than two pages)
• Two Essays
  • Essay 1: Consider a significant life experience or perspective that has influenced your future goals. How does it it connect with your commitment to civil rights and liberties and how do you foresee using the Pauli Murray Fellowship to help you achieve your aspirations? (400 words, Microsoft Document or PDF)
  • Essay 2: Personal Statement or Video Essay selected from the prompt below* (written essays no longer than 600 words in a Microsoft Document or PDF OR video essay no longer than 5 minutes).
    • In a 1967 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 has an aspect of your identity or life experience shaped you?

In your essays, 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.

• 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.
  • Academic recommendations can come from a professor or teacher, speaking to your academic achievements
  • Personal/character recommendations can come from a co-worker, 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 signs the letter, the academic recommendation must have an official academia letterhead.

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.

The ACLU does not accept unsolicited phone calls or emails related to your application status.