Maryjane Johnson is a program associate with the Democracy program. She is a graduate of the MA/MSc International and World History dual-degree program with Columbia University and The London School of Economics and Political Science. For her graduate dissertation, she researched nineteenth century American immigration policy and the federal response to European contract labor migrants, examining early federal legislation and policy directed to thwart labor migration prior to the mass arrival of immigrants in the 1900s. She explored the convergence and divergence of federal action with public opinion and shifting societal trends towards nativism.
Prior to joining the Brennan Center, Johnson worked in the public education sector. She taught Social Studies and worked to increase student engagement with history, increasing accessibility to the field of history beyond the textbook.