Employment
Robert L. Carter Fellowship
The Opportunity Agenda, a project of Tides Center, seeks candidates for the Robert L. Carter fellowship, for a 2-year term beginning in September of 2009 and ending in August of 2011. The Opportunity Agenda is a communications, research, and advocacy organization dedicated to building the national will to expand opportunity in America.
The Fellow will participate in legal research, conduct legal advocacy, work with coalitions, and collaborate with local and national public interest organizations and policymakers. The Fellow will focus on promoting equal opportunity and protecting human rights in sectors such as health and health care, education, employment, and immigration policy. Activities are likely to include administrative, legislative, and policy advocacy; reporting; litigation support; and helping to create innovative new advocacy strategies and tools. This work will be done in close collaboration with The Opportunity Agenda’s legal, research, and communications staff, providing opportunities for social science research and media experience, as well as legal work.
About the Robert L. Carter Fellowship: The Opportunity Agenda’s legal fellowship program is named for acclaimed civil rights lawyer and jurist Robert L. Carter, a chief architect of Brown v. Board of Education and a champion for civil rights. The program honors and continues Judge Carter’s legacy of unflinching commitment to justice, intellectual excellence, and the integration of law and social science knowledge to improve the lives of all Americans.
Qualifications: Attorneys, law students who will graduate in 2009, and judicial law clerks who will complete their clerkships in 2009 are eligible. We also are particularly interested in candidates with a background or additional degrees in the social sciences, journalism, and/or communications. Candidates must have a strong interest in working with advocates and communities in the field, and a demonstrated commitment to social justice. The Opportunity Agenda is an equal opportunity employer. We value a work place that is diverse in terms of gender, race, class, geographic origin, sexual orientation, and other differences that enrich our society.
Deadline: Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. All application materials must be received no later than January 5, 2009. Interested candidates should e-mail a letter of interest, resume, transcript, writing sample, and two references to khsu@opportunityagenda.org.
The Opportunity Agenda, a project of the Tides Center, is an equal opportunity employer. We value a work place that is diverse in terms of gender, race, class, geographic origin, sexual orientation, and other differences that enrich our society.
Internship
Spring 2009
The Opportunity Agenda is dedicated to building the national will to expand opportunity for all in America through communications, research, and advocacy. We are seeking a student Fall Intern with a demonstrated commitment to social justice and equal opportunity, strong communications skills, and the initiative to take on new and innovative assignments. A sense of humor and a dose of modesty are essential.
The internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students with a specific interest in communications. The precise nature of the work varies by project and is based on the office's needs, but examples of work include:
• Posting entries on The Opportunity Agenda blog
• Helping maintain the website
• Compiling and recording clips of The Opportunity Agenda's media coverage
• Assisting with planning, coordination, and implementation of events
• Contact database management
• Assorted administrative duties
• Other duties as assigned
Qualifications: Candidates for this position should have a strong desire to work in non-profit communications. The ideal candidate will have some experience working in a professional environment and therefore bring to the position analytical, organizational, and general office skills along with strong verbal, written, and interpersonal skills. The candidate must be comforable taking initiative and is a detail-oriented, energetic and quick learner possessing writing, editing and research skills. Applicants with previous non-profit communications experience and/or a basic knowledge of HTML will be given preference.
This is an unpaid position. College credit may be available. The intern must be able to commit to 10-12 hours weekly for at least three months. The hours are flexible, and some work may be completed off-site. The internship will begin in January or early February.
The Opportunity Agenda, a project of the Tides Center, values a diverse workplace and encourages students with non-traditional experiences and from historically underrepresented groups to apply.
Please e-mail your resume and a cover letter (necessary to be considered) to mhingorani@opportunityagenda.org. Please no phone calls.
Volunteer Opportunities
We are interested in working with videographers, filmmakers, and students interested in social justice and documentary; journalists writing stories on topics relating to opportunity; communications and media professionals, and creative people interested in moving Americans’ hearts and minds to embrace opportunity for all.
If interested, please contact mhingorani@opportunityagenda.org.
Pro Bono Legal Assistance
The Opportunity Agenda strives to bring our unique communications, research, and advocacy strategy to multiple issues. As part of The Opportunity Agenda’s goal to marshal the public will to demand equal access to the American Dream, we provide our local partners with legal and policy support that connects our research and communications efforts to specific policy solutions. Our work focuses on identifying the policies and practices that will address the diverse needs of the community, that embody the values of opportunity that we seek to promote in all public policies and that will, in turn, fuel further demand for expanding opportunity in other sectors. Our aim is to provide information and analysis regarding effective solutions to community leaders, advocates, and institutions seeking to implement promising practices.
We are also researching ways of integrating human rights standards into U.S. law. In collaboration with experts in the field and pro bono law firm partners, we will pursue other potential policy levers designed to build public dialogue and political will to address human rights as a cornerstone of opportunity.
We are grateful to our current and past law firm partners including: Schulte Roth & Zabel; Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP; DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary; Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Our legal work is chaired by Bill Lann Lee, former assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Clinton administration and shareholder at Lewis, Feinberg, Lee, Renaker & Jackson, P.C. in Oakland, California, and by Juhu Thukral, director of law and advocacy at The Opportunity Agenda.
If you are interested in learning more about pro bono opportunities for research on opportunity, human rights, and the law, please e-mail your resume to Kevin Hsu, Associate Counsel, at khsu@opportunityagenda.org. Please no phone calls.