Dr. Laurent Reyes

Biography

Assistant Professor Laurent Reyes is committed to developing research that addresses current systems of inequality that directly affect older Black and Latinx adults. As an activist scholar and storyteller, Dr. Reyes utilizes qualitative visual methods to listen to and elevate the lifetime stories of resistance and solidarity among Latinx and Black elders, aiming to re-imagine a new framework of civic participation based on these lived experiences. His research is focused on shifting the socio-political attention towards the resources necessary for historically oppressed communities to develop and thrive in the context of systemic oppression and ethnoracial persecution. Furthermore, Dr. Reyes collaborates with community members, artists, and non-profit organizations to weave narratives that support ongoing movements for liberation. He obtained his BSW, MSW, and PhD in Social Work from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. His recent empirical research has been published in significant journals including Gerontologist, Ageing & Society, Research on Aging, Innovation in Aging, and Journal of Social Distress and Homelessness. Before embarking on his academic career, Dr. Reyes worked in research organizations, conducting evaluation studies that focused on access to health and community services within indigenous, Black, Latinx, and immigrant communities in both Mexico and the United States.

Research Interests