Research Assistant
Seeking three undergraduate or graduate students in History, Ethnic Studies or a related field for part-time summer work assisting in research for a history of race and racism in Nebraska.
Each assistant will work with an historian for one of these sections: Native Americans, African Americans, Latinos. (Later sections will focus on Asian Americans and Recent Refugees.) The assistant will review and summarize sources in the project bibliography, search for other sources, interview relevant community members, solicit/record photos, manuscripts, etc., and otherwise assist historians as needed.
The Truth and Reconciliation history is a project of the Lincoln chapters of NAACP and Nebraskans for Peace. Nebraska Appleseed serves as the project’s fiscal sponsor. Candidates of all backgrounds are invited to apply. Nebraska writers who are of the ethnic/racial groups listed are particularly welcome.
Dates: May 16 to August 15, 2022 (flexible)
Pay: $20 per hour for up to 10 hours per week
The project steering committee believes Nebraskans of all ethnic/racial groups and identities, ages, and faiths will benefit from knowing a vital part of their past largely left unwritten and unspoken. It is to be a “people’s history of Nebraska” that tells those stories in an interesting, compelling, and insightful way, a narrative accessible to middle and high school students as well as the general public. The history will be offered to the public as an open-access, searchable, multimedia website.
Skills and Qualifications:
• Cultural Sensitivity – Cultural sensitivity and openness are imperative, as the research assistant will work with important and delicate topics, perspectives, and events, and with people directly related to an ethnic group.
• Attention to detail – The candidate must be proficient in researching documents and private collections in order to enhance and uncover detail for a well-rounded, comprehensive story.
• Determination – The assistant must show determination to meet project goals and deadlines.
• Communication Skills – The assistant must have strong oral and written communication skills.
Closing Date: Monday, April 11, 2022
Please submit a resume, cover letter, and one-page writing sample to:
Dr. Dewayne Mays, Chair, Truth & Reconciliation Steering Committee
mdmays402@gmail.com