Miriam Gray is an Instructor of English Composition and Civic Engagement at Jackson State University. Gray strives to ensure her students are prepared to impact society and make positive change through effective writing and speech. Gray understands the significance and necessity of movement history and literature within curricula, because what we learn can impact how we see the world and choose to coexist.

Inspired by her commitment to education, equity, and combating internalized anti-Blackness among youth, Gray founded Servant Leaders Institute (SLI) in 2019. Servant Leaders Institute supports and encourages meaningful leadership throughout communities. To date, SLI has graduated two cohorts of all-girl youth leaders, conducted book giveaways for six consecutive years, spotlighted local authors, and supported various causes to advance equity.

Gray also serves as the NAACP Jackson Branch secretary and the Mississippi NAACP Youth and College advisor. Both roles require Gray to lean upon the wisdom of our elders and ancestors while centering civic engagement and civil rights. Gray credits her upbringing in Fayette, Mississippi and her teaching experience as catalysts for her commitment to equity.

Gray will begin her Ph.D. studies in the Department of Public Policy and Administration at Jackson State University this fall. She earned her Master of Arts in Teaching Secondary Education at Belhaven University and her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and a minor in Political Science at Millsaps College.