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First Amendment Fellow

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First Amendment Fellow

First Amendment Fellow

The Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) invites applications for a First Amendment Fellow to join its Public Policy Unit (PPU).

About SCHR

The Southern Center for Human Rights is working for equality, dignity, and justice for people impacted by the criminal legal system in the Deep South. SCHR embraces multifaceted strategies in its fight for a world free from mass incarceration, the death penalty, the criminalization of poverty, and racial injustice.

Over our forty-six-year history, SCHR has forced county, state, and federal governments to make significant improvements in prisons and jails to reduce overcrowding, provide adequate medical and mental health care, and abate violence and abuse. We have argued and won five death penalty cases at the United States Supreme Court, four of which challenged profound race discrimination in capital trials. Our combined litigation and policy advocacy helped bring about the creation of a statewide public defender system in Georgia. Our advocacy has also advanced significant reforms in the Georgia General Assembly as well as in local governmental bodies. For more information about SCHR, visit www.schr.org.

About the Position

The First Amendment Fellow (“Fellow”) will work within the Public Policy Unit to support the expansion and maintenance of mass protester support infrastructure in Atlanta. For years, SCHR has collaborated with community organizations to support criminalized protesters and defend protesters’ first amendment right to freedom of expression and dissent. SCHR is working with partners to formalize and maintain a robust protester support infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

With support from other members of the Public Policy Unit, the Fellow will work to:

  • Refine, support, and expand existing systems for recruiting and pairing attorneys with criminalized protesters;
    • Provide technical and logistical assistance related to the representation of protesters, including the review of invoices and representation agreements for compliance with project standards to ensure timely remission of payments to attorneys; and
  • Ensure that uniform and project-compliant representation agreements are maintained for all paired cases.

The Fellow would also perform tasks such as:

  • Maintaining contact with paired attorneys to ensure their access to trainings and other information that is supportive of their representation of clients;
  • Maintaining contact with the project’s base of attorneys providing support to protesters even if not currently representing clients;
  • Providing information regarding correctional facility practices and court management processes to help ensure regular client visitation; and
  • Ensuring client’s support hubs have accurate information regarding the delineated roles between jail support, court support and protester support infrastructure.

With respect to community outreach and engagement, the Fellow will work closely with Movement Policy Counsel to:

  • Design and disseminate written materials;
  • Create educational content for social media;
  • Produce and coordinate continuing legal education programming, including in-person events and webinars; and
  • Attend public meetings concerning the project.

The Fellow will also coordinate with the Public Policy Associate (“Associate”) to:

  • Coordinate with national groups and other legal organizations contributing to the work;
  • Ensure that the protest support infrastructure is connected with people and organizers on the ground;and
  • Share relevant written educational policy materials with grassroots infrastructure.

Qualifications

SCHR seeks applicants who are highly motivated, detail-oriented, well-organized, communicate well with others, and have a deep commitment to the work of SCHR. The candidate should be both a strong team player and able to work independently. The ideal candidate is someone who has prior employment or volunteer experience with marginalized communities harmed by criminal legal systems. People with direct personal or familial experience with the criminal legal system are encouraged to apply.

A successful First Amendment Fellow:

  • Operates within liberatory anti-racist frameworks when approaching tasks, community, and colleagues;
  • Is highly organized with strong administrative skills and attention to detail;
  • Is an experienced facilitator or convener of large coalitions;
  • Has community organizing experience and is familiar with or experienced in public policy advocacy at the state and local level, preferably in Georgia;
  • Can bridge the gap between and work collaboratively with partners with a diverse range of ideological approaches;
  • Is comfortable working independently and being self-directed, while staying regularly connected with the Public Policy Unit and the rest of the organization;
  • Is a strategic thinker with excellent research, prioritization, analytical, organizational, and interpersonal skills; and
  • Can think ‘big picture’ as well as translate ideas into realistic, actionable plans.

Applicants must be:

  • Willing to travel extensively by car and have a valid driver’s license;
  • Willing to meet regularly with attorneys and grassroots leadership;
  • Willing to work outside of normal business hours as the need arises, including weekends;
  • Trustworthy with confidential information;
  • Observant of all rules governing law firms in Georgia;
  • Committed to serving low-income communities and other communities targeted by the criminal legal system; and
  • Dedicated to uprooting anti-Black racism and working to advance SCHR’s commitment to antiracism.

Commitment and Compensation

The start date is negotiable, with a strong preference for as soon as possible. SCHR seeks a commitment through August 2025. This is a grant-funded position without the possibility of renewal. Salary is commensurate with experience within SCHR’s modest, public interest pay scale of $50,000-$60,000. SCHR offers an excellent, 100% premium-paid benefits package, including medical, dental, vision care, and life insurance. Additional benefits include modest stipends for transportation and wellness, access to a flexible spending account, and childcare assistance (if eligible). This is an in-person position.

TO APPLY

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Those who are interested are encouraged to apply immediately. NO PHONE CALLS, PLEASE. Email [email protected] with the following:

  • Statement in the subject line of the e-mail that you are applying for the First Amendment Fellow position;
  • Letter of interest;
  • Resume;
  • If applicable, please share any links or literature related to any campaigns you have led or with which you have been involved.

The Southern Center for Human Rights is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, which welcomes qualified applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, gender identities, sexual orientations, abilities, nationalities, and military status, as well as those who have been system-involved.