Tatum Gray

Passionate about the intersection of historical systems, legal reform, and community advocacy, Tatum is committed to using archival research and public service to advance equity within the criminal legal system. Her current honors thesis explores the political and social dynamics of the 1871 Paris Commune, with a focus on how working-class revolutionaries envisioned justice, governance, and collective resistance. By analyzing primary sources such as newspapers, trial transcripts, and memoirs, her research examines how revolutionaries, particularly women, challenged traditional legal structures and reflected broader struggles over class, gender, and state power in 19th-century France.

Beyond academics, Tatum is engaged in service and advocacy on campus and in the Austin community. Through her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega, she advances initiatives promoting domestic violence awareness and prevention by supporting survivors, educating peers, and challenging the stigma surrounding interpersonal violence. Her advocacy extends into the broader Austin community through her work with Texas Helping Hand, a student organization dedicated to supporting unhoused populations through direct outreach and policy advocacy.

Tatum plans to attend law school and pursue a career in public interest law, with a particular focus on gender-based violence, survivor advocacy, and legal reform. She sees her training as a historian as central to this work: by understanding how laws have historically marginalized vulnerable communities—and how those patterns persist—she aims to challenge injustice not only through legal strategy but through a deep awareness of the systems that shape it. Whether advocating for survivors of domestic violence or challenging inequities in the criminal legal system, Tatum hopes to bring a historically informed, justice-centered perspective to every aspect of her future legal career.