Meet Our Scholars

Jalen is a senior at Brown University concentrating on religious and Africana studies. Born and raised in Austin, and reared in Southern Black Baptist and Apostolic churches, Jalen has developed a critical understanding of the successes and perils of the Black church as an institution. His studies focus on how Black queer/trans folks engage in spiritual healing despite religious traumas and castigation. Jalen aims to continue supporting and uplifting marginalized people throughout his career as well. As a communications and media intern at the ACLU, Jalen is currently developing his skillset to develop communications strategies and materials to amplify messaging that advances us to a more just world.