[5] In 2002, she was appointed as the Susan B Anthony Professor at the University of Rochester for her extensive research on race, gender, and identity politics.
[1] She remains a professor in the anthropology department at the University of Rochester and is known for being a challenging and extremely knowledgeable professor[6] Fordham was a main contributor to the creation of the framework Acting White and has published significant research, both outlining Acting White and discussing other prevalent topics for Black students in educational settings.
The study, which was widely dispersed and is still relevant today, attributed Black students' lower academic achievement to the association between doing well in school and Acting White.
They argued that Black students who do well in school risk "labeling... exclusion from peer activities or ostracism, and physical assault" (183).
They argue that one mechanism through which Black students resist acculturation is by not "acting white" which is code for the activities (studying, attending class, doing home, etc.)
President Barack Obama brought up the idea of "Acting White" at a Town hall meeting, and his statements were in line with the policy implications suggested by Fordham and Ogbu.
[4] This demonstrates how Black women don't just choose to maintain a low profile, both academia and mainstream media ensure they are ignored.
[12] The more closely they remain tied to and identify with their Black communities, the less likely they can achieve vertical success, which is largely based on the individual in white capitalist culture.
[12] This article, first published in the Harvard educational review, contains a comprehensive exploration of the idea of Racelessness and how it plays out at Capital High.
Her research followed Black female high school students and examined their identity formation and how the idea of "passing" related to them.
Fordham argues that Black women should express their "loudness" and rebel in the ways they see fit against the systems that have historically oppressed them.