JOBS

Communications & Media Relations Consultant

POSITION OVERVIEW

The BLIS Collective (on behalf of New Yorkers for Reparations) is currently seeking a Communications and Media Relations Consultant to support the coalition in developing a long-term communications strategy and ensuring impactful media engagement and coverage. This part-time role offers an opportunity to amplify the need for reparations in New York by building relationships with journalists, securing media coverage, and crafting compelling messaging. The ideal candidate will have established relationships with New York-based journalists, experience working in coalition spaces, and a strong understanding of policy areas and implications of reparations for Black communities.


ABOUT THE BLIS COLLECTIVE

The BLIS Collective (Black Liberation-Indigenous Sovereignty) is a Solidarity and Action Hub that braids narratives and grows movements. Our mission is to spark radical collaboration and narrative alignment between and within Black, Indigenous, and transformative social movements to repair, decolonize, and reshape culture. We are building a membership-serving organization that seeks to create the conditions to grow movements, deepen solidarity, and advance strategies rooted in liberation and decolonization.

BLIS has a long-term inside and outside power-building strategy focusing on narrative research, national and local coalition building, cultural production, capacity building, and facilitating cross-movement organizing between Collective members. The BLIS Collective was founded in 2022 by Savannah Romero and Trevor Smith and is a fiscally sponsored project of Possibility Labs.


ABOUT NEW YORKERS FOR REPARATIONS

New Yorkers for Reparations is a statewide coalition that includes members based both in and outside New York, focused on growing the movement for Black reparations across the state and ensuring that the eventual recommendations from the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies turn into policy.

The coalition is focused on:

  • Creating a statewide movement of people who are politically educated about reparations and who can advocate for the passage of transformative reparations policies.

  • Ensure the Commission on Reparations Remedies is informed by as many New Yorkers, particularly Black New Yorkers, as possible.

  • Ensure the Commission on Reparations Remedies takes a comprehensive and transformative justice approach to its recommendations.

  • Telling a fuller and more complete origin story of New York and how we arrived at this point of inequity.

The coalition is divided into five subcommittees and is steered by a Steering committee:

Steering Committee Representatives:

  • The BLIS Collective

  • Get Free

  • VOCAL-NY

  • NAACP LDF

  • Erase Racism NY

  • December 12th Movement

  • New York Civil Liberties Union

  • National Action Network Brooklyn Chapter

Subcommittees:

  • Communications Subcommittee

  • Commission Subcommittee

  • Organizing & Coalition Recruitment Subcommittee

  • Policy Subcommittee

The coalition meets monthly on the last Thursday of the month from 3:30-5:00 pm ET.


KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Media Relations and Outreach

  • Build relationships with journalists and media outlets to secure press and content coverage, with a focus on New York-based media.

  • Distribute press releases to local and national media outlets to raise awareness about the coalition’s and Reparations Commission’s work.

  • Identify opportunities for the coalition to inset its voice in relevant press coverage, including op-eds, interviews, and panel discussions.

  • Curate news clips and updates on reparations related topics, keeping the coalition informed on developments in Albany and beyond.

Strategic Communications Planning 

  • Collaborate with the communications subcommittee and coordinating committee to draft a long-term communications plan for the coalition.

  • Ensure the coalition’s messaging promotes a transformative narrative on reparations, framing the issue as both a moral and economic imperative for all New Yorkers.

  • Recruit messengers and influencers to join the coalition’s “choir,” helping to permeate popular discourse and engage broader audiences.

  • Develop strategies to align communications efforts with policy goals and public education campaigns.


EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

This is a part-time, fully remote contract, with a strong preference for someone based in New York. Standard BLIS Collective office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET.

The consultant will be expected to dedicate 8 hours per week to this role, including 2-3 hours per week participating in weekly BLIS and coalition meetings and 6 hours for independent work, such as media outreach, drafting materials, and curating news clips.


COMPENSATION

This position will be compensated at an hourly rate of $100/hr, with an expectation of 8 hours per week for nine months, for a total contract amount not to exceed $30,000.

Payment will be structured as follows: 50 percent of the total contract will be paid upfront at the start of the contract, 25 percent will be paid halfway through the contract period, and the remaining 25 percent will be paid at the end of the contract.


TRAVEL

This position may require some travel in New York approximately 10-15% of the time.


ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE

  • Demonstrated experience in communications, media relations, or public relations, preferably within advocacy and coalition spaces dedicated to justice, equity, and liberation.

  • Established relationships with New York journalists and media outlets.

  • Proven ability to craft and implement strategic communications plans.

  • Deep knowledge of reparations policy and the historical and systemic issues impacting Black communities.

  • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce compelling press releases, op-eds, and messaging frameworks.

  • Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders and working in coalition environments.


APPLICATION PROCESS

Possibility Labs (the fiscal sponsor of the BLIS Collective) is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, disability, gender, nationality, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation or any other status protected by law. People of color and LGBTQ candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Interested candidates should apply through this Typeform by January 31, 2025.