CFA: Intra-American Slave Trade Database Summer Research Internship Program

Call for Applications

Application Deadline: Tuesday February 6th, 2024

The Intra-American Slave Trade Database Summer Research Internship program is pleased to invite applications from interested undergraduate students enrolled at Historically Black Colleges and Universities for paid internships in the summer of 2024.

The internships support historical research on the trafficking of enslaved people and are supported by a UC-HBCU Summer Internship Support Grant. These paid internships involve a five-week summer training and research program, with paid travel and lodging at two research sites: the University of California Santa Cruz (where the project is based) and North Carolina’s Research Triangle (where archival research will take place).

The program will introduce undergraduate students at accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to research on the Intra-American Slave Trade Database, an international collaborative project coordinated at several University of California campuses. The UC-HBCU Initiative seeks to improve diversity and strengthen University California graduate programs by investing in relationships between UC faculty and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The 2024 program runs from July 1 to August 2, 2024 (five weeks). 

Participating students will spend three weeks in residence at the University of California Santa Cruz (with travel, room, and board provided). At UCSC, students will be learning about the slave trade, the Intra-American Slave Trade Database, and relevant research methods. Interns will also apply new research skills on digitized sources. 

Then, the final two weeks of the program take student interns to the “Research Triangle” area of North Carolina for archival research (with travel, room, and board provided). Student interns will scour records in the North Carolina State Archive (Raleigh) and University of North Carolina’s rare book and manuscript collection, “Documenting the American South” (Chapel Hill) to investigate enslaved people’s forced migrations both to and from the colony and state of North Carolina. In the process, student interns will gain an introduction to archival research in original sources.

Participating student interns will gain knowledge and research experience, while receiving mentorship towards potential careers in history or related fields. The internship will teach research and data management skills, while exposing student interns to graduate level research and help them connect with numerous faculty at the University of California’s many campuses. 

Student interns receive: 

• a $4,000 stipend
• paid travel to the research sites in California and North Carolina
• dorm rooms and meals throughout the program.

Students who complete the program are also eligible for competitive financial incentives from the University of California system to later attend graduate school in any program, at any UC campus.

Eligibility

• Students must be currently enrolled at Historically Black College or University. Click here for a list of eligible institutions. 
• All majors are welcome to apply.
• Applicants must be available to complete the full program from July 1 to August 2, 2024, including travel to California and North Carolina.

Application Process

Please complete an application that contains the following materials:

1. A 1-2 page letter of application that describes your academic background, interest in history, and how this experience will contribute to your academic and career goals.
2. An unofficial transcript.
3. One letter of recommendation from a professor who can speak to your academic interests and abilities. When you click “Send Reference Letter Request” on a saved InfoReady draft application, the faculty member will receive an email containing a unique link to a web page to upload their letter.
4. A resume/CV outlining your work experience (academic or otherwise).

APPLY

The deadline for receipt of all application materials is 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time), February 6, 2024. Materials received after this deadline cannot be guaranteed consideration. For more information contact Dr. Gregory E. O’Malley, Professor of History at UC Santa Cruz: gomalley@ucsc.edu.

* Banner Photo: A student presentation during a 2018 UC-HBCU program at UCSC