Environmental Justice History Intern

EDF internships provide high-quality experiences (including relevant projects and opportunities for networking) that form the foundation for any individual who is serious about pursuing an environmental career.

Location

U.S. remote with option to be hybrid out of EDF’s office in Washington DC. Intern supervisor is in Massachusetts and many team members are in New York and Washington, DC. 

Term

Spring 2027, 15-week term 

Hours

Part-time (10 hours/week)

Application Materials

Interested applicants should attach their resume and a cover letter demonstrating interest in  environmental justice, research, and history to the EDF application.

Program/Department Overview

The Justice & Equity (J&E) team is a core capacity within EDF’s Mission. Guided by EDF’s Equity and Environmental Justice Vision and Principles and its Environmental and Climate Justice Strategic Plan, we work to embed environmental and climate justice frameworks across the Mission, optimizing EDF’s core strengths to drive lasting and effective environmental solutions.

 Overall Function

The intern will support J&E’s Frontline Resource Institute (FRI, pronounced free), a project of EDF. In 2026, FRI began an effort to capture and record oral history video interviews with leaders of the U.S. Environmental Justice movement. These histories include accounts of each leader’s career and personal perspectives on landmark moments in the movement. To date, we have recorded hour-long video interviews with Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Dr. Beverly Wright, Charles Lee, Donele Wilkins, Jose Bravo, Dr. Mildred McClain, Dr. Paul Mohai, Richard Moore, Dr. Robert Bullard, Tom Goldtooth, Peggy Shepard, and Vernice Miller-Travis.

The interviews will be made available publicly on an interactive digital platform, which will include a multi-media timeline of the Environmental Justice movement. The website and associated materials will also be referenced directly in a forthcoming book on the history of environmental justice. Together, the digital platform and book will provide a new and multidimensional history of the origins and development of environmental and climate justice.

The intern will lead research to collect and compile media on key leaders and landmark moments in the Environmental Justice movement. This media will supplement the existing interviews and be made available on the digital platform. This project creates opportunities for interns to lead historical research and investigative journalism efforts. The final deliverable is a multimedia overview of the Environmental Justice movement, which will be published as a digital timeline and linked directly to a forthcoming book.

Key Responsibilities

Tasks will include but are not limited to:

• Research the history of environmental and climate justice through historical media (e.g., daily and weekly newspapers, radio, TV news programs, periodicals, and other sources), leveraging Howard University’s Black Press Archive.
• Review existing oral history interviews and supporting materials to identify gaps and opportunities for additional research.
• Categorize all research findings based on a timeline of significant historical events including but not limited to local, state, regional, national and international milestones. Synthesize research and historical media to help shape the stories of the EJ leaders on an interactive web platform.
• Attend weekly meetings with EDF Senior Communications Specialist for Justice & Equity. Attend an in-person meeting at EDF’s Washington DC office with EDF’s Senior Vice President of Justice & Equity and project staff.
• Work directly with the Justice & Equity team’s Project Manager to build a project timeline and deliverables that accommodate the intern’s academic schedule.
• Present research findings to EDF staff and senior leadership.
• Participate in advancing EDF’s organizational effectiveness and culture goals, so people from all backgrounds and experiences feel connected, included and empowered to address environmental and organizational challenges in ways that align with EDF values.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in a degree program at Howard University.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in environmental justice, research, history, and policy.
• Demonstrated interest in communications and creative storytelling.
• Coursework in qualitative and quantitative research, environmental policy and environmental justice recommended.
• Experience in research and academic writing.
• Basic proficiency in Microsoft Suite.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Well organized, motivated, and detail oriented.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to work in a team setting and independently as needed.
• Demonstrated self-awareness, cultural competency and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across all cultures and backgrounds.
• Demonstrated initiative and problem-solving skills.

Compensation

• This internship would involve compensation for work paid at a rate competitive with leading non-profits at $18/hour or the local minimum wage if it exceeds $18/hr.

Learn more about internships at EDF -http://www.edf.org/environmental-careers/internships