The Brownsville Project is a grassroots organization that helps communities confront and heal from suppressed history. Currently, The Brownsville Project is working with descendants of the Brownsville/Park Avenue community in Frostburg, Maryland, a former community of freed and formerly enslaved Black people, to seek truth and reparations for legacies of racially biased practices and systemic oppression that led to the displacement of Brownsville community members as recent as the 1950s.
The intern will play an important role in helping to make the stories of Brownsville community members and their descendants and the impact of decades of displacement visible and better understood. The intern will be an integral member of The Brownsville Project and have the unique opportunity to help a grassroots organization advance its mission and contribute to local truth-seeking efforts. The intern will closely work with and be supervised by the founder of The Brownsville Project.
The ideal candidate will possess excellent writing, analytical, and decision-making skills as well as be passionate about social justice, uncovering untold stories, and familiar with transformative justice.
Duties may include the following:
Research and analyze historic documents related to the Brownsville community; understand and place them in a larger societal context
Create and implement an archival system that accounts for existing and new items as well as different forms of records (e.g. photographs, government records, video/audio recordings)
Put in place sustainable systems according to relevant best practices for future archival work
Help digitize documents, photos, and other research artifacts, particularly photocopies of written deeds
Help transcribe written deeds into typed electronic format
Draft brief descriptions of each document, photo, or recording
Conduct online research to verify documentation received by The Brownsville Project when needed
Perform other duties as required and within reason
Qualifications:
Graduate level student in a relevant field with experience working with historical documents
Able to commit 10-20 hours a week for a minimum of 3 months.
Working knowledge of early century property law and Jim Crow laws/Black codes is a plus but not required
Ability to work professionally and responsibly when handling sensitive and personal information and/or family documents
Excellent writing and researching skills
Proficient in Microsoft office suite, Google Suite, and archival programs
Reliable, self-starter, detail-oriented, organized, and communicative worker who takes initiative and adept at managing several lines of work
Creative thinker and collaborative work ethic
Passionate about building a more humane and equitable society
A connection or familiarity with African American history and culture in Maryland is a plus, but not required
Working knowledge of transformative justice and transitional justice is a plus, but not required
This internship will receive a stipend of $2,500 and the option to receive course credit. Student applicants should check with their academic institution to see if they are eligible to receive academic credit for this internship. In addition to searching digital archives, this internship will require searching physical records and archives in locations like Western Maryland and Annapolis, MD. Candidates must have their own transportation and the ability to travel to these locations as needed. In addition to the stipend, travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Application Process:
Please send a resume and cover letter to growth@thebrownsvilleproject.com by Friday, March 24, 2023 with the subject line “Research/Archivist Intern.” See below for other key dates
Internship Timeline
Application Deadline: Friday, March 24, 2023
Notice of Decision: Monday, May 1, 2023
Internship Dates: Monday, June 5, 2023* - Friday, August 25, 2023*
*These dates are flexible based on the intern’s course schedule