Summer 2025 Fellowship - Research and Writing

The African American Policy Forum (AAPF) is thrilled to announce that applications are now open for its 2025 Summer Fellowship Program. This ten-week, U.S.-based fellowship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to AAPF’s mission.

The fellowship is a full-time, 40-hour-per-week paid position, running from Monday, June 9, 2025, through Friday, August 15, 2025, with a strong preference for candidates located in New York, the DC/Baltimore area, and Nashville. Due to the intensive and immersive nature of the program, fellows must commit exclusively to the AAPF Summer Fellowship and may not concurrently participate in other fellowships.

AAPF is seeking a Summer Fellow to join our Research and Writing team! This role combines quantitative expertise with a commitment to advancing equity and social change. We are seeking an individual with a strong background in social science research methodologies and writing experience for rapid-response opinion editorials, statements, organizational newsletters, social media posts, as well as mid-to longer form writing projects. The Research and Writing Fellow will contribute to newsletters, op-eds, speeches, and descriptions related to the African American Policy Forum’s, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw’s, and the Center for Intersectionality and Social Policy Studies’ (CISPS) ongoing international and domestic projects, intersectional issues, policy development, and media coverage. This is a 10-week summer fellowship reporting directly to the Senior Research and Writing Fellow.

Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Preparing communications, such as memos, emails, newsletters, reports, and other correspondence
• Contributing to various ongoing AAPF projects including Critical Race Theory Summer School, #SayHerName campaign, Under the Blacklight webinar series, Black Girls Matter report, AAPF blogs and statements, and other programming
• Supporting the Executive Director and other leadership for various projects such as speech writing, media appearance preparation, and op-eds
• Full participation in brainstorming sessions with the AAPF team

The ideal candidate should have

• Bachelor's degree or higher in social sciences, humanities, or a related field
• Demonstrated proficiency in statistical analysis, survey design, and quantitative research methods
• Statistical software proficiency (R, STATA, SPSS, SAS)
• Experience with data visualization tools (Tableau, Power BI, ggplot2) is a plus but not required
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, accessible prose
• Experience in multidisciplinary research

AAPF’s Core Competencies include:

• Intersectionality
  • Scholarly understanding of Critical Race Theory and Intersectionality
  • Familiarity with Kimberlé Crenshaw's work
• Communication & Collaboration
  • Strong written and verbal communication
  • Ability to work closely with others and foster professional relationships within the organization and others
• Intellect & Curiosity
  • Critical thinking skills; strategic and analytical approach to your work
  • Desire to continue to deepen and/or widen expertise
• Autonomy & Leadership
  • Taking initiative to identify opportunities and projects to pitch to leadership
  • Strong organizational, multi-tasking, and prioritizing skills