Hakeem Jefferson

This work has been a long time in the making and I’m excited that we all now have a chance to dig into it.

Congrats to my pal @bhighsmith.bsky.social and the entire research team. This is important work!

Exciting new research that demonstrates how localities in the same metropolitan area have wildly varying tax bases—which go on to have a huge impact on the ability to provide services. Rich towns can collect more taxes, give themselves better services, and reinforce inequality.

First peer reviews of my book landed last wk. Now that I’ve sobered up from the excitement of knowing this project will have a great home, the real revisions begin. Another set of reviews is on the way. Feedback is a gift & the academy makes sure you get plenty! Excited to share this book w/ y’all!

I love the brilliance . . . on both sides of the trend: the makers and the scholars.😍

These are not the quarter-zips I was raised on.

YouTube video by godfreycomedian Black Men Should Always Carry A Starbucks Cup.

also just reminded of this great one with starbucks cup hahah
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vPg...

"The best social science takes what folks already sense about the world and treats it with the theoretical and empirical seriousness it deserves." INDEED!

And it's also why diversity within the scholarly community is so important. Some of us sense very different things about the world.

The effect of wearing college apparel on Black men's perceived criminality and perceived risk of being racially profiled by police The current research examines whether a prejudice reduction strategy used by Black college students—signaling a college affiliation—mitigates the perc…

I saw a great talk by the author of this paper, and it exactly captures this sentiment of how we need to study what folks already do/ sense to manage their identities
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This trend is sooo funny and also reminds me of the mid 2000’s when Jay Z started wearing button ups and blazers w/jeans.

“Business casual in the club” was a thing in the same way as quarter zips — using respectability via dress to avoid being targeted

These young people are, in their own way, teaching seminars on identity every time they post. And it reminds me that the best social science takes what folks already sense about the world and treats it with the theoretical and empirical seriousness it deserves.

www.instagram.com/reel/DQ-1vvq...

All of this takes me back (as so many things do) to Chris Rock’s “Black people vs. N-words” bit and that long-standing urge to separate the “good” Black folks from the ones said to be messing it up for everyone or not performing in ways that fit white middle-class norms. In this case, + masculinity.

Second, some media have written about it like it’s a for-real-for-real cultural shift. @therootdotcom.bsky.social frames it as young Black men moving away from “stereotypes” toward something “classier.” In this context, it’s funny but also Ralph Lauren/Morehouse.

www.theroot.com/in-new-trend...

Nike Tech examples (basically hoodies)

the quarter zips

Two things stand out to me here. First, these young Black men are very clearly in on the joke about “respectable” performance, "trading Nike Techs for quarter-zips" and playing with the idea of being the “young gentleman.”

Part of what makes this interesting is how it fits into the broader “performative male” moment online—these exaggerated performances of masculinity that are part bit, part self-help, part inside joke. But they’re also surprisingly attuned to cultural dynamics I wish we talked about more as scholars.

In the various clips, Black men say they’re in their “YG era” (Young Gentlemen), often while sporting a quarter-zip—a playful callback to “YN,” young nigga. It’s def hilarious, but it’s also a brilliant mix of insights about contemporary masculinity culture and ideas about racial stereotypes.

@Richdafifth life different when u gotta quarter zip #matcha #quarterzip #performative #niketech TikTok video by Jason Gyamfi

So, my pal @jinxungoh.bsky.social sent me a vid earlier abt the quarter-zip trend taking hold among young Black men on TikTok & across Gen Z more generally.

Of course, I have a few quick thoughts (for whatever they're worth).

A brief thread. First, here's the TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@whois.jason...

If you're a professor at Texas A&M, you'll need to receive written authorization from the university president before discussing this incident on campus.

Texas A&M Tightens Rules on Talking About Race and Gender in Classes

Texas A&M Tightens Rules on Talking About Race and Gender in Classes www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...

“The policy defines race ideology as, among other things, ‘a concept that attempts to shame a particular race or ethnicity.’”

These GOP-led efforts will ruin their states’ public universities. Sad!

‘Black Conservatism’ and Familiarity with Ideological Concepts CDDRL Research-in-Brief [4.5-minute read]

Excellent write-up from my friends at @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social—my second home—on my article in @poqjournal.bsky.social that questions the validity of the canonical liberal–conservative measure for studying Black Americans’ political attitudes and behavior.

cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/news/black-c...

Cowards gonna coward.

An excellent question.

The evidence shows pretty persuasively that many Black people don’t use these terms “liberal” or “conservative” in any context. They are terms that are simply not part of lots of people’s political or social lexicon.

Great q: the evidence really shows that lots of Black folks just don’t use these terms period.

‘Black Conservatism’ and Familiarity with Ideological Concepts CDDRL Research-in-Brief [4.5-minute read]

Excellent write-up from my friends at @stanfordcddrl.bsky.social—my second home—on my article in @poqjournal.bsky.social that questions the validity of the canonical liberal–conservative measure for studying Black Americans’ political attitudes and behavior.

cddrl.fsi.stanford.edu/news/black-c...

Apropos of nothing, Mamdani is the antithesis of Van Jones, and that’s a very good thing.

100 percent. I think he benefits from what most great orators benefit from: he knows himself—and more importantly, he talks to (and understands) what moves people. And, as far as I can tell, he believes what he’s saying.

I have actually not seen Mamdani give a formal speech and what I’ll say is that unlike so many of his peers he is not trying to mimic anyone in his delivery. He is simply being himself and it is very effective.

“Turn the volume up” is just insane contemporary speech work.

I’ve been interested in political speeches for as long as I can remember. I’ve listened to nearly every inaugural and major address, and I’ve given tons of public speeches myself.

Zohran’s talent in this arena ranks among the best. He’s damn good. Hella good. Remarkably good.

Crazy to watch.

@hakeem-jeffries.bsky.social is on @cnn.com congratulating Dems—without mentioning @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social until pressed.

As a colleague said today, those opposing this president’s anti-democratic moves should also protest an “opposition” that refuses to be a real opposition party.

I agree.

It’s ok to be inspired—even, or especially, when shit’s this crazy out there. Let me be clear: I’m not obsessed with optimism, nor do I think it always works out.

But we should be wary of those who tell us to rid ourselves of hope.

The opposite of hope for the enslaved is enslavement, after all.