ABOUT the ACLU of NORTH CAROLINA 

Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBTQ+ people, fighting to achieve racial justice, pushing to eradicate our broken and racially biased criminal legal system, defending freedom of speech, religion, and the right to protest, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach. 

Two critical components of our work are uplifting the voices and leadership of impacted people and applying an anti-racist lens to all aspects of our internal and external functions including but not limited to our issue campaigns, recruitment and human resources, strategic planning, donor and volunteer relations, Board and committee processes, and deciding what cases to litigate. We are looking for candidates who share our commitment to our values. 

The ACLU-NC brings together litigation, legislative advocacy, communications, and organizing strategies to empower communities and achieve our objectives in major issue areas including criminal law reform, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the rights of immigrants. With over 40,000 members and supporters across the state, the ACLU-NC has a staff of more than 25 people with an office in Durham. 

To learn more about our work, please visit www.acluofnorthcarolina.org  and www.aclu.org. 

INTERNSHIP OVERVIEW 

The ACLU of North Carolina is seeking a Communications Intern to join us. A communications internship at the ACLU of North Carolina provides undergraduate/graduate students with an opportunity to actively work on multi-media communications and public relations projects addressing a wide variety of civil rights and liberties, including immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights, First Amendment, reproductive freedom, and criminal justice reform. Reporting to the Communications Director, the Communications Intern will gain valuable skills from members of the Communications department, supporting and uplifting our work through integrated advocacy. The Communications Intern will gain hands-on experience in digital advocacy strategy, rapid-response messaging, and values-aligned social media engagement within a statewide civil liberties organization. The Communications Intern will be expected to work remotely up to 20 hours per week, from January 19th through April 30th, but may be asked to occasionally meet in person at our Durham office.   

RESPONSIBILITIES

Interns gain valuable experience by working with the Communications team on a variety of issues. Responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:  

• Monitor social media trends and identify opportunities to engage with relevant conversations 

• Create engaging content for social media platforms (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, TikTok), sometimes responding rapidly to current events 

• Suggest ideas for and help produce TikTok videos to raise engagement on the platform  

• Keep track of and help promote advocacy and legal work advanced by the ACLU-NC 

• Assist with tracking basic social media performance metrics (e.g., engagement, reach) and identifying trends to inform future content 

• Support additional communications projects as needed

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS 

This internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students studying communications, digital media, marketing, or other relevant subjects. Candidates must be a resident of North Carolina and should possess the following: 

• Excellent research, writing and communications skills 

• Attention to detail, excellent organization, and time-management skills 

• Experience creating content for a wide variety of social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, etc.) 

• Familiarity with social media management or design tools (e.g., Adobe Express, Canva, Pally, etc) is a plus 

• Creativity, initiative, and the ability to manage projects independently with appropriate guidance  

• Interest in civic engagement or public policy 

• Interest in and commitment to civil right and civil liberties 

• Commitment to ACLU-NC's mission to advance and protect civil rights and liberties 

Preferred candidates will have experience or demonstrated interest in one or more of the ACLU of North Carolina's issue areas: voting rights, immigrants’ rights, criminal law reform, reproductive freedom, or LGBTQ+ rights. 

COMPENSATION 

The salary range for the Communications Intern is $15 per hour for an undergraduate student, or $21 per hour for a graduate student, subject to applicable income tax. This position is non-exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The ACLU-NC/LF is a unionized employer. The Communications Intern is a temporary position and is not part of the union bargaining unit.  

TO APPLY 

Applications should include a resume and cover letter that explains your specific interest in the Communications internship with the ACLU-NC. Applications may be submitted via this link (ACLU-NC Communications Spring Intern 2027 - American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina - Career Page) and should include all materials outlined above. We encourage applicants with disabilities who may need accommodations in the application process to contact: [email protected]. Correspondence sent to this email address that is not related to requests for accommodations will not be reviewed. Applicants should follow the instructions above regarding how to apply. Please note that we will only be able to follow up with those candidates under consideration. Applications will be accepted and reviewed until November 13th, 2026.  

The ACLU-NC is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Recognizing that strict minimum requirements tend to disproportionately discourage women and people of color from applying for jobs for which they would otherwise be competitive, we encourage all qualified individuals to apply – especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who identify as LGBTQ+; and people who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the criminal legal system.  

The ACLU-NC and the ACLU-NCLF is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. Recognizing that strict minimum requirements tend to disproportionately discourage women and people of color from applying for jobs for which they would otherwise be competitive, we encourage all qualified individuals to apply -- especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who identify as LGBTQ+; and people who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the criminal legal system.