The BMRC implemented a layer of protection against disruptive bot traffic. Learn more.
Archie Motley Archival Internship Program
History & Mission
The BMRC’s Archie Motley Archival Internship Program (AMAIP) was launched in January 2016. The mission of the AMAIP is to develop and create meaningful and educational internship opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate students, and recent graduates in the field of archives and cultural heritage management. Stipends are provided to students of color selected for practical employment experience working with cultural heritage professionals in BMRC member institutions. Since its inception, 21 interns have completed an AMAIP internship. Several former interns have pursued or completed graduate degrees. Others have entered the LIS field or aligned areas. All have indicated the positive impact of their Archie Motley internship experience.
Who was Archie Motley?
Archibald Motley III (1934- 2002) was a long-time archivist at the Chicago History Museum (1955-2002) and a leader in the profession. Motley served as a founding member and first president of the Midwest Archives Conference and was also an active member of the Society of American Archivists. Before his death, he was named Chicago History Museum’s Archivist Emeritus, in honor of his tireless collection development efforts to preserve Chicago’s urban, social and cultural history –especially collections related to labor, African Americans, and community organizations. Those collections include the papers of Claude Barnett, founder of the Associated Negro Press; Earl Dickerson, an attorney for Supreme Life Insurance Co.; and papers of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Among archivists, he was well known for his service to the profession and interest in assisting and mentoring the younger generation. Motley is remembered as a dedicated archivist who always made time for students coming along in the profession. Learn more about Archie Motley via the 2002 Chicago Tribune article and on the website, Midwest Archives Conference/Motley.
Meet our 2025 ARCHIE MOTLEY ARCHIVAL INTERNS!
Our interns will start their 8-week internship in mid-June. More information is forthcoming about them and their archival projects.
APPLICATION INFORMATION:
The SUMMER 2026 application period will open in October 2025.
BMRC Member Institutions interested in hosting one or more Archie Motley Archival Program student interns should review the details on the Host Site Application Guidelines page, which provides eligibility requirements, project proposal expectations, and other program information.
Metro Chicago-area undergraduate and graduate students interested in applying, please take a moment to read the Student Application Guidelines information to learn about eligibility requirements and other program information. Then, recheck this page in October 2025 for an announcement about the opening of the next application period.
Archie Motely Archival Interns 2024
KRIS BOSTICK is a sophomore at Lake Forest College. They are a history major with minors in French and African American Studies.
BMRC Host Institution: Chicago History Museum
PROJECT: Digitizing Interviews about the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Collection
Kris shared: "I have an enthusiasm for preserving history, and my goal is to start a career that allows me to pursue that passion and inspires an appreciation of history in others. I'm excited to receive an Archie Motely Archival Internship because the experience will be a unique opportunity to enhance my educational and professional goals."
CHANELLE DAVIS is a first-year library and information science graduate student in the School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
BMRC Host Institution: Hannah Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, Univ. of Chicago
PROJECT: Eva Overton Lewis and Julian Herman Lewis, MD, PhD Collection Web Exhibit
Chanelle shared: " My goals as a community archivist are to build trustworthy relationships, cultivate spaces for those with various skill levels and skill sets to contribute to community archival practice meaningfully, and ensure those voices on the margins are heard and remembered. Through these efforts, I plan to leverage the power of local histories and community archives that will, hopefully, inspire young people to be compassionate and empathetic change-makers in the world around them."
Khalia Mullin is a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she has a double major in political science and African American Studies.
BMRC Host Institution:
Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University Chicago
PROJECT: Carol Moseley Braun A/V Metadata
Khalia shared: " I staunchly identify as a Pan-Africanist because I believe that the principles of uniting the African diaspora and declaring agency over the African continent and oneself target a plethora of the oppressions black people face. Imperialism is all-encompassing and diminishes the value of black people, their experiences, and everything that they create. This program defies imperial education and further informs the public about the unseen and erased histories of black people. Granting and taking back such agency is everything I believe in, and this opportunity would allow me to further educate myself on the rich histories that exist around and beyond myself."
."