Jaelyn Jarrett is a Black and Inuk woman originally from Nain (Nunainguk), Nunatsiavut. She spent her early years raised by her Anânsiak and Atâtsiak (grandmother and grandfather) before being relocated to the south, where she was raised within her Afro-Guyanese family in Toronto. Jaelyn’s identity and lived experience are central to her research and community-based work, grounding her commitment to Inuit history, rights, and identity, while also supporting efforts to build understanding, kinship, and allyship between racialized and Indigenous communities across Canada.
Jaelyn holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Law and Indigenous Studies and is completing a Master’s thesis in Human Rights and Social Justice at Carleton University. Alongside her academic work, Jaelyn is a mother and works part-time with the Canadian Medical Association, bringing extensive experience as a contractor across research, policy, facilitation, and community advocacy spaces.
Her professional experience includes delivering Inuit- and Indigenous-specific education and anti-Indigenous racism workshops to organizations across Canada; undertaking research and policy work related to Indigenous health and human rights; and providing mediation and systems navigation support between child welfare agencies, Inuit organizations, and Inuit families in Ontario. Her work is grounded in an intersectional approach and an appreciation for multiple worldviews and epistemologies, positioning her to engage in thoughtful and effective knowledge translation across institutional and community contexts.
Jaelyn brings a relational and community-accountable approach to her work, shaped by lived experience in both her community in Nunatsiavut and southern urban settings, alongside her academic and professional commitments.