The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to honor Jae-lynn Tavarez Brown, BA Anthropology '21, MA '25, with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award in African and African American studies.
Tavarez Brown is a passionate prison abolitionist and anthropologist at heart and in training. Her previous master's research in anthropology at George Mason University used ethnographic methods to understand how people interpret media messages about the prison system in their lived experiences.
Tavarez Brown currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland, where she works as a writing coordinator for the American Prison Writing Archive at Johns Hopkins University. She also spends her time engaging in union organizing and working with Baltimore Jail Support, a collective providing direct services to people being released from Baltimore Central Booking.
Congratulations, Jae-lynn Tavarez Brown!
The College of Humanities and Social Sciences honors distinguished alumni each fall at Community and Catalysts: Achievements, Awards, and Innovations. This signature event is a celebration of alumni, faculty, and students whose leadership, research, and service have made outstanding contributions to their fields, communities, and to the university.