Ariyanne (Ari) Colston is a first-year doctoral student in the Religion in America subfield. Ari’s research interests include African American religion, U.S. law, and Black geographies. In particular, her work examines the relationship between law, sacred space, and Black religious placemaking by considering the ways property law shapes the formation and current decline of urban Black churches.

Prior to joining the Department of Religion at Princeton, Ari received a B.A. in Religious Studies and International Studies at the University of Miami. She completed the dual degree program in Law and Religion at Emory University, where she earned her M.Div. at Candler School of Theology and her J.D. from Emory Law. Ari is a President’s Fellow at Princeton, and her work is also supported by the Department of African American Studies.