ACLU-NC Legal Outreach Worker

ABOUT THE ACLU OF NORTH CAROLINA  Whether it’s achieving full equality for LGBTQ+ people, fighting to achieve racial justice, pushing to eradicate our broken and racially biased criminal legal system, defending freedom of speech, religion, and the right to protest, or preserving the right to vote or the right to have an abortion, the ACLU takes up the toughest civil liberties cases and issues to defend all people from government abuse and overreach.   Two critical components of our work are uplifting the voices and leadership of directly impacted people and applying an anti-racist lens to all aspects of our internal and external functions including but not limited to our issue campaigns, recruitment and human resources, strategic planning, donor and volunteer relations, Board and committee processes, and deciding what cases to litigate.

We are looking for candidates who share our commitment to our values.  The ACLU-NC brings together litigation, legislative advocacy, communications, and organizing strategies to empower communities and achieve our objectives in major issue areas including criminal law reform, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and the rights of immigrants.

With 30,000 members and supporters across the state, the ACLU-NC has a staff of more than 25 people with an office in Durham.    POSITION OVERVIEW  The ACLU-NC seeks a contractor to serve as our Legal Outreach Worker to support our immigrant rights efforts preferably based in Charlotte-Mecklenburg. The Legal Outreach Worker will expand ACLU-NC’s assistance and support to immigrant communities, deepen relationships with local partners, and help community members understand their rights and available resources. Under the direction of the Legal Director and other attorneys, the Legal Outreach Worker will support ACLU of North Carolina’s immigrant rights efforts by conducting community-based outreach, sharing Know Your Rights information, and ensuring that information about legal rights and resources effectively reaches and is helpful for immigrant communities.   This contracted position focuses on building trust within immigrant communities, strengthening rapid-response networks, identifying potential clients and witnesses for high impact immigrant rights litigation, fact investigation in support of potential litigation, and ensuring community members have access to accurate legal information during moments of heightened enforcement. This contracted position is non-partisan and will not engage in electoral advocacy, support, or opposition to any candidate or political party. The Legal Outreach Worker will be required to travel around North Carolina; qualified candidates must have a current driver's license and access to a vehicle.  KEY RESPONSIBILITIES :

• Conduct bilingual (English and Spanish) in-person and digital outreach in immigrant communities across North Carolina—with special focus on addressing the impact of the recent federal immigration enforcement activity in Charlotte and the Triangle—including sharing resources, conducting legal intake, and delivering Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations.  Conduct outreach to immigrant North Carolinians in rural and less-resourced communities to inform them of their rights and legal resources available to them.    Support rapid response and community monitoring by gathering information from impacted communities and connecting individuals to internal and partner resources.  Participate in and help coordinate outreach campaigns such as text outreach, phone outreach, community meetings, and door-to-door canvassing when relevant.  Serve as a bilingual (English and Spanish) point of contact for community members seeking legal information or assistance.  Attend community events as needed to share ACLU-NC resources, including preparing and presenting Know Your Rights presentations.  Take on discrete interpretation and translation assignments on occasion.    TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS ROLE, THE CANDIDATE WILL HAVE :    Bilingual in English and Spanish (required).  Strong commitment to the mission and values of the ACLU of North Carolina, including immigrant rights, racial justice, and civil liberties.  Commitment to confidentiality and willingness to work under the direction of attorneys.  Experience conducting community outreach—ideally in immigrant communities—including KYR presentations, tabling, canvassing, or related work.  Comfort engaging community members in a wide range of settings, from homes to churches to local events.  Experience working or volunteering with legal-based organizations, immigrant rights groups, or community-based nonprofits (preferred).  Ability to compassionately, sensitively, and effectively gather and analyze information from community members who have experienced trauma.  Ability to build trust and work respectfully with people from diverse backgrounds.  Reliable transportation, valid driver’s license, and ability to travel throughout North Carolina.  Ability to work some evenings and weekends as outreach needs arise.  Strong communication skills—both interpersonal and written—with the ability to relay information accurately and accessibly.  Ability to work independently, meet deadlines, and adapt in fast-moving or evolving situations.  Proficiency in MS products (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)     POSITION TERM AND COMPENSATION :   This is a six-month contract position   Compensation will be at a rate of $30 / hr for the contract term, not to exceed 15 hours each week.  Employer-provided mobile phone  Transportation and travel costs will be reimbursable in accordance with organizational policy.   The ACLU-NC is a unionized employer.

The Legal Outreach Worker is a contracted position and is not subject to a collective bargaining agreement.     TO APPLY :

Be sure to outline your experience and skillset, and how you will be successful in this role.  Applications may be submitted via this link :

Recognizing that strict minimum requirements tend to disproportionately discourage women and people of color from applying for jobs for which they would otherwise be competitive, we encourage all qualified individuals to apply - especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who identify as LGBTQ+; and people who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the criminal legal system.

Recognizing that strict minimum requirements tend to disproportionately discourage women and people of color from applying for jobs for which they would otherwise be competitive, we encourage all qualified individuals to apply especially people of color; women; people from low-income backgrounds; people with disabilities; people who identify as LGBTQIA+; and people who are formerly incarcerated or otherwise directly impacted by the criminal legal system.