About me
AJ Hikes is a social justice advocate, community organizer, and TED Talk speaker who brings an unapologetically queer and Black perspective to transformative institutional change. As Deputy Executive Director for Strategy & Culture at the ACLU National Office, Hikes serves as chief counselor and principal partner to the executive director while overseeing critical functions of organizational strategic planning and programmatic priority setting, providing executive-level leadership across the organization.
Previously serving as the ACLU's first Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Hikes provided vision, leadership, and direction for the organization's nationwide strategy to support equity, diversity, and inclusion across all aspects of its work. Through this groundbreaking role, they established frameworks for embedding justice principles throughout one of America's most influential civil rights organizations.
In 2017, Hikes introduced the world to the More Color, More Pride flag, launching a global conversation around anti-racism within LGBTQ+ communities and challenging the movement to confront its own exclusionary practices. This innovation demonstrated how symbolic representation can catalyze broader discussions about intersectionality and inclusion within social justice movements.
Hikes' TED Talk on mentorship, sponsorship, and collective liberation has garnered over two million views, building a network of intersectional accomplices committed to changing the landscape of equity, inclusion, and belonging in workplace environments. Through their speaking, organizing, and executive leadership, Hikes continues to advance comprehensive approaches to liberation that center the experiences of those facing multiple forms of marginalization while transforming institutions from within.
