Civil Rights/Social Justice Internship
Well.. since you've offered!
I had initially accepted an internship at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in their Public Policy department. It seemed to be the ideal opportunity-- I would get experience at a law firm, I'd get a first hand look at public policy advocacy and research in practice, there were many women of color in leadership positions, the internship program seemed very structured and organized in a way that emphasized learning experiences, and most importantly, they work toward many civil rights/social justice causes I care about. The issue, though, was that it was unpaid. I've worked my entire college career to support myself, so taking the internship meant I'd have to find another job that was paid (effectively …show more content…
Which is why I interviewed with Legal Services Corporation to begin with. LSC is a perfectly respectable organization, but I'm definitely less excited to work there. They're committed to furthering equal justice for all and I'd still be able to contribute within the policy advocacy landscape, but I'd noticed that one, their leadership was predominantly older white men and two, that the VP of the department I applied to worked as the director of drug policy legislative affairs in the Clinton administration. This immediately bummed me out because when I think Clinton admin, I think Crime Bill, mass incarceration, police misconduct etc. It just gave me a bad feeling, and that's completely opposite from what I felt when thinking about the Lawyers' Committee. Also, overall I think the Lawyers' Committee was more in my range of professional interests regarding law, policy, and advocacy. So I was just conflicted about taking a job I wasn't passionate about for the simple fact that it was paid. It was like I was selling my soul lol. There was also the issue of having to renege on my acceptance of the other internship right before the start date.
In any case, I think taking the job with LSC was the best decision since school is my priority and working 2 jobs really wouldn't have been realistic. And like I said, at the least it'll will be a great learning
I had initially accepted an internship at the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in their Public Policy department. It seemed to be the ideal opportunity-- I would get experience at a law firm, I'd get a first hand look at public policy advocacy and research in practice, there were many women of color in leadership positions, the internship program seemed very structured and organized in a way that emphasized learning experiences, and most importantly, they work toward many civil rights/social justice causes I care about. The issue, though, was that it was unpaid. I've worked my entire college career to support myself, so taking the internship meant I'd have to find another job that was paid (effectively …show more content…
Which is why I interviewed with Legal Services Corporation to begin with. LSC is a perfectly respectable organization, but I'm definitely less excited to work there. They're committed to furthering equal justice for all and I'd still be able to contribute within the policy advocacy landscape, but I'd noticed that one, their leadership was predominantly older white men and two, that the VP of the department I applied to worked as the director of drug policy legislative affairs in the Clinton administration. This immediately bummed me out because when I think Clinton admin, I think Crime Bill, mass incarceration, police misconduct etc. It just gave me a bad feeling, and that's completely opposite from what I felt when thinking about the Lawyers' Committee. Also, overall I think the Lawyers' Committee was more in my range of professional interests regarding law, policy, and advocacy. So I was just conflicted about taking a job I wasn't passionate about for the simple fact that it was paid. It was like I was selling my soul lol. There was also the issue of having to renege on my acceptance of the other internship right before the start date.
In any case, I think taking the job with LSC was the best decision since school is my priority and working 2 jobs really wouldn't have been realistic. And like I said, at the least it'll will be a great learning