The ACLU has worked for over 100 years to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States. The ACLU’s Pauli Murray Fellowship was founded in 2022 in honour of the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray – activist, legal theorist, author, Episcopal priest and the first Black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest. The ACLU seeks a Pauli Murray Fellow in the Communications Department of its National office in New York. This is an eighteen-month, term-limited position, running from January 2027 to July 2028, and a hybrid role with in-office requirements of two days per week or eight days per month.

The Pauli Murray Fellow will play a critical role in developing and executing communications strategies, using knowledge of advocacy communications combined with organisational skills to create and maintain resources that support the ACLU’s work. Day-to-day responsibilities include developing and distributing a weekly rapid response communications resource digest and occasional additional resources, partnering with other nationwide communications staff and affiliate advisors to facilitate and set agendas for meetings, partnering with other nationwide communications staff to maintain resources related to the ACLU’s issue areas and campaigns, and supporting community building across the ACLU communications network through virtual meetings, staff intranet resources and other tools. With the knowledge and skills gained over the course of the programme, the Fellow will complete a capstone project, working with national and affiliate teams to discuss and define needs, define roles between national and affiliate teams to maximise impact, map ACLU communications tools and tactics in ways that support its goals, and adapt general documentation and resources to make campaign-specific guides.

The fellowship is for individuals making their entry into the nonprofit sector full-time, including those overcoming systemic barriers to employment. Applicants should be college graduates by September 2026 seeking an entry-level role, with a demonstrated commitment or interest in leadership, service, civil rights and civil liberties, and eligibility to work in the United States for the duration of the programme. Successful candidates will be proactive and self-reliant, with proven experience managing multiple and competing priorities, familiarity with communications tactics such as working with press and media outlets and social media, the ability to take complex instructions or information and make it easy for people to use, and intermediate knowledge of Microsoft Office, specifically Word, Excel and Outlook. The fellowship offers full-time employment, a $78,000 annual salary, and benefits for 18 months at the ACLU National Headquarters, skill development in professional communications, organisational strategy and project management, stipends to expand career and professional development through conferences, coursework and graduate school, access to leaders and mentors, a trip to a historical site, a capstone project with mentor support and community with fellows and colleagues. All applications are due by Monday, November 9th, 2026 by 11:59pm EST, with interviews in the first week of December 2026 and final selection at the end of December 2026.

Source: ACLU careers page. Apply here: https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/aclu/jobs/8821477002