History Intern

2023 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORICAL BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INTERNSHIP PROGRAM POSITION DESCRIPTION

NPS Unit: Cumberland Gap National Historic Park

Location: Middlesboro, KY Position Description:

These positions will work in the Division of Interpretation, Education, and Visitor Services at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The interns will be part of a team focused on engaging and collaborating with Black community partners, improving existing interpretive materials to include multiple perspectives, and creating new programs or products that tell a more inclusive and complete history of the Cumberland Gap region of Appalachia. Go Back Quick Apply

Tasks:

Current interpretive and educational materials at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park have little or no information about African Americans, their roles, or their contributions to this area. Selected Interns will help change this and significantly improve the park’s interpretation and education program. Interns will help incorporate and apply information from a newly completed Special History Study titled "Black History in the Cumberland Gap Region, 1540-1930". The interns will help identify priority information and narratives from this new study; evaluate existing park interpretive materials to identify information gaps, errors, and outdated or biased language; and collaborate with others to create one or more new interpretive programs or products focused on Black history in the Cumberland Gap Region.

Learning goals:

The interns will gain experience with the National Park Service in public history interpretation, interpretive product development, historiographical research, and community engagement. Depending on the specific product identified and created, the interns may also gain skills in exhibit design, interpretive writing, thematic interpretation, and/or digital content development.

Qualifications:

Qualified applicants should have strong skills in verbal and written communication, research, and community outreach and engagement. Applicants should be creative, have a passion for preserving and sharing history, and be able to effectively engage and collaborate with partners. Public history, African American Studies, or similar majors with at least 2 years of college are preferred. Work requires hiking on backcountry trails in mountainous terrain. Project involves both indoor and outdoor work, with outdoor work conditions that may include high heat/humidity, cold, and exposure to biting insects. Valid driver's license is required.

Diversity and Inclusion:

The park is committed to improving diversity and inclusion in terms of staff, interpretive and educational programs, and public engagement and visitation. The park contracted a Special History Study on African American history of the park, which has just been completed, with the intent to incorporate information from the study into the park’s interpretive and educational programming. Park staff have reached out to Black in Appalachia, a nonprofit group focused on highlighting the history and contributions of African Americans in the development of the Mountain South and its culture, to collaborate in this effort. The park has also just received a National Park Foundation Inclusive Storytelling Grant that includes employment of 2 PLC Interns for up to 52 weeks to help with this project. Funds from this National Park Foundation grant will be used to extend the 2 HBCUI positions. The park promotes and recruits for vacancies at area colleges and job fairs, posts them on social media, and uses other measure to reach out to diverse and under-represented communities for paid and unpaid positions.

Last updated on Nov 28, 2022