Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African Studies at Cal State University Los Angeles and a prominent figure in the Black Lives Matter movement, recently expressed her belief that Taylor Swift fans exhibit racist tendencies. The statement was made in a post on X during the Super Bowl, sparking a heated discussion on the platform. Swift was present at the game to support her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, who played a key role in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to victory.
Abdullah also wrote on X after the game, in response to the San Francisco 49ers loss: “Why do I feel like this was some right-wing, white-supremacist conspiracy?!?! Booooooo!!!!”
“Folks think they’re attacking me by asking why I think everything is racist…I’m not offended. Virtually everything is racist,” she wrote in another post.
Why do I feel like it’s slightly racist to be a Taylor Swift fan?
— Melina Abdullah (@DocMellyMel) February 11, 2024
Professor Abdullah is identified as a womanist scholar-activist who sees her role within the academic community as closely connected to the larger movements for the freedom of marginalized individuals.
Abdullah is recognized as one of the founders of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter and serves as the co-director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, the activist arm of the contentious advocacy group. In December 2021, she wrote a piece advocating for Jussie Smollett’s innocence amidst his trial.
Professor Abdullah’s faculty bio describes her as “a womanist scholar-activist – understanding the role that she plays in the academy as intrinsically linked to broader struggles for the liberation of oppressed people.”
Abdullah is listed as a co-founder of Black Lives Matter’s Los Angeles chapter and co-director of Black Lives Matter Grassroots, the activist wing of the controversial advocacy group.