Martin Luther King Institute Summer Internship, 2026
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project is looking for undergraduate interns to assist in the publication of The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., the authoritative fourteen-volume edition of Dr. King’s most historically significant speeches, sermons, correspondence, and other works. The Project, founded by Mrs. Coretta Scott King in 1985, has published seven volumes of the edition that have become essential reference works with the help of hundreds of undergraduates.
The full-time, ten-week summer research program will focus on final research and preparation for our highly-anticipated Volume VIII, which covers 1962-1963 and includes the Birmingham Campaign and the March on Washington. During this process, interns will work with our internal documents database and conduct research, mostly but not exclusively focused on the civil rights movement. Interns will also provide basic editorial assistance under the guidance of Project staff and gain experience on all levels of manuscript preparation. We also will hold weekly discussions centered around the materials, providing opportunity to engage more with King and the meanings of his legacy in today's world.
For more information and for any questions, please contact assistant editor David Lai at dalai@stanford.edu.
Photo of Coretta Scott King, Institute founding director Clay Carson, and Project staff and students, 6 November 1986.
- Working with primary source documents from the civil rights movement
- Conduct guided historical research tasks
- Editorial assistance under guidance
- Weekly discussion
- Preparing documents for digitization
All class years and majors are welcome to apply, but the program is limited to undergraduate students at the time of Summer 2026 (unfortunately closed to those graduating in Spring 2026 and co-terms). Applications involve a short form and a letter of recommendation from an academic adviser (required).
