Sophistaratchet Blackademic

“Clothing is a way to let people in and put up walls. When I’m moving in white spaces, I like to wear something that let’s people know not to talk to me if we’re going to have an issue.”

— Dillard University professor and self-professed "blackademic", Terri Coleman

"The issue" she is referring to is the hurtful and ignorant assumptions that people make about her based on her light, black skin. From honoring the Black women that came before her and the political and historical implications of wrapping her hair, to the broadcasting of her Blackness with her style, Terri is not afraid to proudly channel all facets of her identity, and be valiantly defiant of the complacency of white supremacist culture. Watch Terri’s enormously empowering takedown of white revisionist history and the current political climate, as she shows that her optimism for the future lies in the indomitable sense of self and pride of Black people.