ABOUT
Dr. Morghan Vélez Young, Ph.D., is a legal anthropologist supporting opportunities for change and the amplification of Indigenous lenses and community-driven solutions surrounding historically oppressive legal systems. Through teaching, research, and community projects, her work in justice systems, the repatriation/rematriation of Ancestral remains, and community organizations and museums reflects a through-line of dedication to antiracism and decolonizing, especially in terms of harm towards Indigenous and Latinx communities.
Since 2012, her lecturing in the Department of Anthropology at Fresno State includes community-based research projects and publishing books and articles on legal matters, Indigenous knowledges, and community-led change. Since 2025, her lecturing in Johns Hopkins University’s Cultural Heritage Management program focuses on the repatriation/rematriation of Ancestral remains.
It has been her honor to walk alongside professional teams, Tribal governments, and community members who advance generational healing in order to fulfill the vision of their ancestors. Her family is Choctaw, Cherokee, and Mexican-American and this informs her dedication to community transformation. She was born and raised on Yokuts Land.