Applications for our 2024-25 Frances Ellen Watkins fellowship have closed. Meet our 2023-24 fellows and explore their work here. And here’s a look at the work of our 2022-23 inaugural fellowship cohort.
The 19th is thrilled to announce that applications for the 2024/2025 cohort of Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellows are now open.
The Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellowship Program — named for the “mother of African American journalism” — was launched by The 19th in 2022 and provides recent graduates and mid-career alums of Historically Black Colleges and Universities with yearlong, salaried roles with full benefits in reporting, audience engagement, and product and technology. Learn more about and apply for a fellowship here.
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This will be the third cohort of the fellowship, which has included graduates of Bennett College; Morehouse School of Medicine; and Clark Atlanta, Howard, North Carolina Central and Xavier universities. See the work of this and last year’s fellows.
Editor-at-large Errin Haines said at the fellowship’s launch that she expects the Frances Ellen Watkins Harper program to create “a transformative path and an industry standard for women of color and LGBTQ+ journalists to not only land competitive newsroom jobs but to thrive and become leaders in our industry.”
The program was funded with a $3.8 million gift from Michelle Mercer and Bruce Golden, the largest single gift in The 19th’s history. It was designed by The 19th’s reporters, editors, developers, people operations and Director of Fellowships Kari Cobham to center on-the-job training, mentorship, professional development and job preparation.
Additional details on the Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Fellowship Program:
- This full-year journalism fellowship for five HBCU graduates or alums annually will include three reporting fellows, one audience engagement fellow, and one technology or product fellow.
- Fellows will receive a minimum salary of $70,000 and all other benefits of full-time employees, including health insurance, paid time off, a company expense account and 401(K) plan.
For more details on the program, who is eligible to apply and frequently asked questions, see the fellowship overview. Applications for the 2024/2025 fellowship cohort close May 31, 2024. Apply today!
