Internship - Black Land and Power

Black, Land and Power (BLP) Internship

Remote (CST)

[Date posted 4/08/25 - Deadline 4/23/2025, 12p PST]

THE OPPORTUNITY

As National Black Food and Justice Alliance (NBFJA or the Alliance) continues to grow, we are now seeking applications for interns (open to undergraduate and graduates) for our 2025 Summer Internship Program.  The Black, Land and Power (BLP) Intern will report to the NBFJA BLP Director and will assist in the development of a comprehensive database of Black Community Land Trusts throughout the country.

The NBFJA Summer Internship Program is an immersive 8-week internship (June 2-August 1, 2025 with 1 week off June 30-July 4, 2025) that aims to cultivate Black leadership, political education, and career opportunities among students in the areas of food sovereignty, self-determining food economies, and land, climate and environmental justice. 

Working alongside NBFJA Directors, staff, and members, interns will be exposed to a variety of opportunities for experiential learning as well as participate in rich cultural, professional, and educational activities to foster a deeper understanding of Black food sovereignty, self-determination, and holistic agricultural practices.  The internship will offer interns the opportunity to engage in broad-based coalition organizing for food and land justice, increasing visibility of Black led narratives and work, advancing Black led visions for just and sustainable communities, and building capacity for self-determination within our local, national, and international food systems. The program will explore historical questions about the role and importance of Black agriculture and the preservation of indigenous agricultural knowledge through qualitative and quantitative research methods. At the conclusion of the internship, interns will share their experience, learnings, and projects with the larger NBFJA community. 

ABOUT NBFJA

National Black Food and Justice Alliance is a coalition of Black-led organizations working towards cultivating and advancing Black leadership, building Black self-determination, Black institution building and organizing for Black liberation through food sovereignty and land justice. 

The Alliance seeks to achieve this by,

  • engaging in broad based coalition organizing for black food and land

  • increasing visibility of Black led narratives and work

  • advancing Black led visions for just and sustainable communities, and 

  • building capacity for self-determination within our local, national, and international food systems and land rights work.

Our areas of focus include black food sovereignty, self-determining food economies, and land. We approach food sovereignty, land and self-determining food economies via the lens of healing, organizing and resistance against anti-Blackness.

INTERNSHIP TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The BLP Intern will support the Black, Land and Power team in building a database of Black Community Land Trusts.  More specifically, they will assist with the following tasks:

  • Research current Black land holdings, verify and compare with current USDA statistics 

  • Analyze current opportunities and develop strategies for black farmer sustainability and black land ownership 

  • Draft a document detailing recent figures, research, and efforts to count acreage held by black landowners/stewards. 

  • Expand the current NBFJA spreadsheet to develop a database of Black land justice attorneys and financial experts throughout the country

  • Market, promote and track participation in and reportings from NBFJA's land steward trainings. 

  • Read and report findings from the NBFJA Land Defense report & literary review docs. 

  • Research and draft a memo/blog post on alternative land stewardship/ownership models that promote collectivism.

  • Develop a database of Black Community Land Trusts throughout the country. 


IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NBFJA INTERN

  • Current or transient undergraduate or graduate college student

  • Prior experience and background committed to community service and development

  • Strong analytical skills with experience in organization and community development

  • Demonstrate leadership potential and a strong interest in the sustainability of Black Cooperatives or community-led organizing and initiatives. 

  • Ability to effectively communicate, verbally and in writing and work with a diverse population both, in-person and virtually

  • Willingness to collaborate with lateral, senior and junior peers, share in decision-making processes, support authentic spaces for collectivism and navigate and resolve conflict as a natural aspect of collective work

  • Ongoing, general study of the history of local and federal public policy with the skills to analyze how those policies impact the lives and land of Black Americans and peoples across the diaspora.

  • Commitment to addressing/confronting anti-blackness; strong racial, gender, class, disability, environmental/social justice lens and equity and practice of consistently applying anti-oppression principles and practices

  • The ability and desire to deemphasize perfectionism and lean into process in a nontraditional remote working environment

  • Keen attention to detail and highly developed organizational and project development skills

  • A collaborative working style that includes flexibility, curiosity, responsiveness, adaptability, high Emotional Intelligence, sense of humor, healthy boundaries and willingness to seek support from colleagues


Additionally, this person should bring a commitment to the values of the Alliance as outlined in our community agreements. Please review them ahead of submitting an application.

COMPENSATION AND POSITION DETAILS

The salary for this internship position is $6,000 stipend which will be paid in 3 lump sum payments of $2,000 at the beginning, middle and end of the internship. 

General Details

  • Remote position with flexible work schedule (expected 30 hours per week Monday- Friday with flex time),

  • Internship dates:  June 2, 2025 to August 1, 2025

  • Responsible for participation and note taking during weekly team meetings

  • In-kind work hours required at local farm or market

  • Attendance and participation in at least two (2) network activities with NBFJA members

  • Maintain and submit required weekly reporting on Internship Learning Plan 

  • Design and complete Final Internship Project as determined by appropriate supervisor

HOW TO APPLY

NBFJA is accepting applications for this role until it is filled. Please share your resume and a personal statement (at least a half page but not longer than 1 page) that describes how this internship with the National Black Food and Justice Alliance fits into your personal and professional journey to internships@blackfoodjustice.org with internship title applying for in the subject line. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to internships@blackfoodjustice.org with any questions or nominations. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until 12p PST, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. 

Access .PDF of position description here


ANTI-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

The National Black Food & Justice Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, and gender expression, religious creed, disability (mental and physical) including HIV, AIDS, and AIDS-related conditions, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, age, marital status, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

NBFJA