Mississippi State professor reveals troubling racial profiling incident in campus parking lot

A Black professor opens up about being racially profiled in the faculty parking lot at Mississippi State University.

Jason K. Wallace, a tenure-track assistant professor at Mississippi State University, recently shared a deeply unsettling experience on X (formerly Twitter), where he was racially profiled in the faculty parking lot at his workplace.

In a series of posts, Wallace recounted how a white woman stared intensely at him from her vehicle as he parked. Despite being a regular user of the lot, the woman inspected his car for a parking permit, leading Wallace to confront her.

Wallace, a tenure-track assistant professor and researcher-practitioner in equity and inclusion at Mississippi State University, calmly asked, “May I help you, ma’am?” She responded by questioning whether he was “supposed to be here,” insinuating that Wallace did not belong. Wallace explained his position as a professor with 15 years of experience, but the woman persisted, claiming his parking permit was “inauthentic.” Despite her insistence, Wallace noted that the pass looked just like everyone else’s.

Frustrated, Wallace declined to give his name and instead invited her to contact the university's Parking & Transit Services. He took photos of her vehicle and walked to his class, though he admitted the experience left him shaken. Wallace expressed how incidents like these affect his well-being, stating, “I don’t feel like teaching anymore, and it’s not fair to my students.”

Support poured in from users on X, many expressing outrage at the casual racism on display. One user commented, “Race-based trauma is a constant that Black folks live with every day. I’m sorry Dr. Wallace’s day was impacted by an entitled a-hole.” Another echoed the sentiment, stating, “It’s heartbreaking to see you go through this, Dr. Wallace.”

This incident is particularly poignant given Wallace’s background. A researcher-practitioner from Fort Worth, Texas, he has dedicated over a decade to advancing equity and inclusion in higher education, with a focus on improving the experiences of minoritized students and professionals. His work highlights systemic issues in academia as he advocates for a more inclusive and supportive environment for people of color.

Usually I don’t talk about stuff like this because frankly it happens way too often. But not today…

As I pulled into the same faculty parking lot that I park in all the time @msstate, a white woman was coming out of my office building. Her car was parked next to the space I…

— Jason K. Wallace, Ph.D. (@DrJKWallace) October 3, 2024