Water Justice Fellow (Community-Based Participatory ...

The NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the country's first and foremost civil and human rights law organization. Founded in 1940 under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall, who subsequently became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, LDF was launched at a time when the nation's aspirations for equality and due process of law were stifled by widespread state-sponsored racial inequality. From that era to the present, LDF's mission has been transformative - to achieve racial justice, equality, and an inclusive society.LDF's litigation, public policy advocacy and public education programs in the substantive areas of criminal justice, economic justice, education, and political participation seek to ensure the fundamental and basic human rights of all people to quality education, economic opportunity, the right to vote and fully participate in democracy, and the right to a fair and just judicial system. LDF continues to make an impact in the area of public service and was recognized by Fast Company as one of its 2023 Brands That Matter under its public service category.The Thurgood Marshall InstituteSince its founding under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall in 1940, LDF has been committed to transforming this nation's promise of equality into reality for all 2015, LDF celebrated its 75th anniversary with the launch of the Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI). The Institute is a collaborative hub within LDF that combines a multidisciplinary approach to advocacy with LDF's traditional litigation strengths to advance a modern vision of racial justice. The Institute aims to enhance LDF's use and mobilization of research and public education to increase its capacity to fight for racial equity, justice, and a more inclusive democracy through targeted advocacy and high-impact communications campaigns.Through TMI, LDF generates and integrates innovative research, advocacy, archival materials, and strategic communications to educate the public and key decision-makers. This added capacity leverages LDF's litigation expertise, advocacy experience, and unique leadership role in matters of race, law, and policy to shape the narrative on racial justice and equity. Through targeted campaigns that attack entrenched problems of racial bias, LDF's TMI advances holistic strategies to achieve obtainable and lasting solutions on issues of criminal justice, political participation, education, and economic opportunity. In addition, the Institute serves as an active convener of thought-leaders from various disciplines who engage in cutting-edge issues of racial justice in both public and private fora.The Water Justice Research Fellow will lead a two-year mixed methods, community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) project exploring the impact of water unaffordability on the health, wealth, and quality of life of Black households and communities. The Research Fellow will work with the TMI research team, LDF litigators, policy advocates, and organizers to assist in developing litigation, legislation, and advocacy recommendations to critically examine and address the role of water unaffordability in furthering racial inequality.LDF operates in a hybrid work environment where employees are expected to be in the office a minimum of two days per week, unless otherwise indicated.Responsibilities: Lead the development of a mixed methods, CBPAR research project, including establishing a CBPAR structure and process and securing IRB approval.The Fellow will work with other team members from TMI, litigation, policy, communications, and organizing to inform strategies to advance racial justice. The Fellow would also serve as a member of relevant internal teams working on economic justice;Assist in project management;Prepare for and participate in internal and external calls, meetings, conferences, and other convenings;Support capacity-building activities related to water equity for LDF staff and our local community partners. This would include developing issue briefings, trainings, and workshop materials for LDF's local partners.Assist in summarizing research reporting purposes, website, and external use;Conduct outreach to regional, state, and local leaders around water justice advocacy;Organize materials for speaking engagements, seminars, symposia, and conferences and assist in the preparation of institutional statements, remarks, or speeches; andOther duties as assigned within the general scope of the position.Qualifications:The ideal candidate will: Commitment to racial justice and the mission of LDF;Doctoral degree in relevant social sciences discipline.Experience designing and leading multiple CBPAR projects.Ability to center racial stratification as a primary focus of analysis.Experience producing scholarly publications with exceptional analytical, writing, and speaking skills;Experience translating research in accessible ways to local communities and helping them use research findings to improve their quality of life;Experience designing and conducting qualitative research and navigating the application process and compliance with of Internal Review Board(IRB) ;Strong project management skills; andKnowledge or strong interest in environmental andor economic justice (i.e., water justice, housing justice, residential segregation) preferred.This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts or requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned. This description does not constitute a contract of employment and LDF may exercise its employment-at-will rights at any time.The salary for this position is $132,000. LDF offers all eligible employees a generous benefits package. To learn more click the following link 2025 Benefits Overview. * * * * *The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to you without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital status, age, veteran status, medical condition or disability, genetic information, gender identity, or any other protected status under federal, state, or local law.

Created: 2025-02-22