Black Voices in the Public Sphere: A Fellowship for Emerging Media Professionals

Photograph: Adobe Stock

Boston Review is now accepting applications for the Black Voices in the Public Sphere Fellowship, designed to prepare and support the next generation of Black journalists, editors, and publishers.

It is no secret that there is a profound lack of diversity in the media. Our new fellowship is intended to address this problem, building on Boston Review’s long-term and deep commitment to publishing work on race and racial justice. “There are not many publications that can match Boston Review’s commitment to publishing Black thinkers, giving space to debates about Black liberation from across the political spectrum, or insisting on the significance of race in broader questions of justice, democracy, and citizenship,” Boston Review contributor Brandon Terry noted during our 2020 panel on Black Lives Matter. 

Despite much hand-wringing about the lack of diversity in the media, the industry remains an overwhelmingly white profession—largely because of the exclusive network that lands young people their first media jobs, as well as the low entry-level salaries. The New York Times recently reported that the people who edit the ten most-read magazines are all white. The lack of diversity in the media industry reflects the widely known reality that historically marginalized and oppressed voices still receive fewer opportunities than their white peers—in access, in leadership positions, and, significantly, in influencing the shape of public discourse in the United States. 

“Boston Review has always believed that the open discussion of ideas is a public good that everyone should be able to access and participate in,” says Deborah Chasman, co-editor-in-chief of Boston Review. “With this program, we are putting that belief into practice, by nurturing a cohort of emerging professionals who are not only well-equipped to enter the media and diversify major institutions but committed to enlarging the landscape of ideas in the industry.”

The program is designed to provide aspiring Black media professionals with training, mentorship, networking opportunities, and workshops. With the guidance of Boston Review editors and professional mentors, fellows will develop projects to be published online or in print. These projects will take different forms depending on fellows’ interests—from writing a series of columns to curating a series of essays, designing forums, moderating live debates, and facilitating interviews.

The advisory board for the Black Voices in the Public Sphere Fellowship includes:

• Danielle Allen, Director of Harvard University’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, lead investigator for Harvard's Democratic Knowledge Project, and former chair of the Pulitzer Prize board
• Ann Marie Lipinski, curator of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist, and former editor-in-chief of the Chicago Tribune
• Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Assistant Professor in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, regular contributor at the New Yorker, and author of the book Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership
• Brandon Terry, Assistant Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and editor of the book, Fifty Years Since MLK

Beyond exploring their own interests and bringing those ideas into public conversations with their individual projects, fellows will also receive training from Boston Review editors in every step of the publishing process—from acquisitions, structural and line editing, copyediting and fact checking, to web and print production and promotion on social and conventional media.

Details

The fellowship will run from September 2021 through May 2022. Fellows will receive a $4,000 monthly stipend.

Applications are now being accepted via Submittable and are due April 30, 2021. A decision will be made in May.

Who is eligible to apply?

The Black Voices in the Public Sphere Fellowship recognizes aspiring media professionals who demonstrate an interest in exploring the publishing world and a commitment to enlarging the landscape of ideas in the media. 

A bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is required to apply. Established professionals should not apply.

Previous editorial experience is helpful but not required. Most important is the clarity of a candidate’s vision for a publishing project and their career goals.

Boston Review hopes to hold the fellowship program in person, but if COVID-19 restrictions persist, the fellowship will be held virtually. Fellows will be apprised of any changes.

To learn more about the eligibility and application requirements, and to apply, click the button below:

Boston Review’s Black Voices in the Public Sphere Fellowship is funded with the generous support of Derek Schrier, chair of Boston Review’s board of advisors.