Community Archivist

Description:

UPROSE, Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization, is launching a dynamic archival initiative to commemorate and document six decades of grassroots activism, cultural preservation, and climate justice organizing. The Community Archivist will play a pivotal role in leading this important archival effort, working collaboratively with UPROSE’s staff, artists, filmmakers, elders, and intergenerational community members to create a compelling historical retrospective for the organization’s 60th Anniversary celebration in Spring 2026.

This position offers a unique opportunity to engage in deep, community-rooted archival work that centers the lived experiences, activism, and cultural contributions of Puerto Rican and frontline leaders. The ideal candidate will be grounded in anti-colonial and anti-racist archival practices and committed to the ethical stewardship of community memory.

Core Responsibilities:

• Organize, assess, and catalog existing archival materials, including photographs, campaign flyers, media clippings, organizational records, and ephemera.

• Identify gaps in the archive and collaborate with community elders, long-standing members, and youth to recover and preserve materials at risk of being lost.

• Conduct and curate oral histories with past and present UPROSE leaders to preserve personal and political narratives.

• Create a narrative arc or timeline placing UPROSE’s 60 years of organizing within a broader historical and cultural context.

• Collaborate with visual artists and filmmakers to integrate archival content into a multimedia presentation for the anniversary showcase.

• Support public-facing community engagement such as pop-up exhibits, storytelling circles, and scan-a-thon events.

• Apply inclusive archival methodologies that prioritize community agency, transparency, consent, and long-term access.

• Help build infrastructure for long-term archival stewardship, including metadata standards, digitization workflows, and preservation strategies.

Required Qualifications:

• Enrollment in or recent completion of a graduate program in Library Science, Archival Studies, Public History, or a related field.

• Hands-on experience with community archives, oral history, or participatory and collaborative research practices.

• Deep familiarity with Puerto Rican history and cultural movements; understanding of racial justice and climate justice organizing.

• Bilingual in Spanish and English (strongly preferred).

• Comfort with digital archiving platforms and tools such as Omeka, Archive-It, Audacity, and cloud-based platforms like Google Drive.

• Strong organizational, creative, and self-directed work ethic; effective collaborator with artists and community stakeholders.

• Clear demonstration of commitment to anti-racism, climate justice, and social equity.

Timeline & Compensation:
The role begins as soon as possible and will run through May 2026. This is a stipend-based contract position, with compensation commensurate with experience. Flexible scheduling is available to support students or early-career professionals.