Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia
Bio: Marcus Gray is a first-year Master’s candidate in Latin American Studies at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. In 2026, he graduated with honors from Rhodes College, where he double majored in Latin American/Latinx Studies and International Studies. During his junior year, Marcus studied abroad at the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra in Santiago, Dominican Republic, completing coursework in Caribbean history. He also spent a summer with the Gobernación of Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia, working in the Office of the Governor and the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development to advance economic and social conditions for Afro-descendant campesinos, particularly in Urabá and Bajo Cauca. His senior capstone research examined racial and religious intolerance in Brazil and the effectiveness of Black electoral quotas in Colombia and Mexico. His academic interests include race, political participation, social identity, and Black cultures in the Caribbean, Brazil, and Colombia.
Concentration: History, Culture, and Society
Research Area – Substantive: Race, Political Participation, Social Identity, Cultural Expressions
Research Area – Geographic: The Caribbean, Colombia, Brazil