Human Dignity Project Assistant Internship

NOTE: Applications submitted through Handshake will NOT be considered.

Desired Majors or Areas of Study: Public History, Bio-Ethics, Anthropology, Organizational Development, Nonprofit Management; interest in student learning and curriculum (history and culture), descendant community engagement 

The Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) works to strengthen African American and African Diaspora museums, archives cultural heritage sites, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities to connect resources to needs through the creation of opportunities that affect positive change in three key areas: (1) organizational capacity building, (2) diversification and talent pipeline development, and (3) technical training. OSP works with national and international museums, related service organizations, and subject-matter experts to achieve these goals.

Human Dignity Project Assistant Intern will assist in the research and investigation of community partners that have a core mission of telling the difficult history of African American history and culture, its related objects, art, and artifacts, in concert with topics related to bioethics.  The intern will work collaboratively with department colleagues, intra-Smithsonian units, and other related institutions that tell stories and collect objects and artifacts related to African American history, culture and sites of memory. The intern will conduct research to identify digital content referencing partners to develop a database of information that identifies related organizations and their primary focus. This information will be used to inform the development of a student learning program that provides an opportunity to learn from the identified partner institutions across the country. This internship will include site visits within the metro DC area to African American museums, Universities, and sites of memory, along with travel to the Association of African American Museums Annual conference (July 2025).

Interns will be given direct experiences in partnership and strategy meetings to understand institutions and scholars focused on the work of ethical interpretation of African American and African diasporic history, objects, artifacts, and bio-ethics related to human remains. The intern will be able to attend department/project meetings, and gain an understanding of fundamental strategies in partnership development.

The ideal candidate will have some knowledge/appreciation for African American History and Public History, experience with partnership development/outreach, and research, and excellent writing and communication skills.

Duties Include (but are not limited to):

• Prepare a database of museums, Universities and sites of memory engaged in ethical interpretation, and or areas related to bio-ethics/human remains 
• Create a summary profile for each partner that highlights the museum related initiative and the organization’s stated purpose and goals, and contact information
• Conduct online research of any topical scholarly publications/articles
• Assist in planning and developing a local community museum directory for use at AAAM conference
• Contact Partners for data collection purposes.