Colette Coleman is a writer telling stories about what it means to belong. Her writing spans diverse topics, including education, real estate, wellness, race, equity, and the places where they intersect. Colette is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. Her articles there include an op-ed making the case for six-figure teacher pay; investigations into the hidden in plain sight racism that countless Black real estate agents face and the blatant discrimination that many women developers must overcome; and a feature on the “Blaxit” trend of African-Americans relocating to nations across Africa. Colette has been interviewed about her writing on CBS News, Brian Lehrer’s WNYC show, and others.
Prior to becoming a journalist, Colette worked at the Federal Reserve investigating bank fraud, with ed tech startups advising them on the K-12 market, and as a school teacher in Los Angeles and Central Java, Indonesia. A Brooklyn native, she has lived, worked and traveled in many countries across the globe, everywhere from Venezuela to Vanuatu. Colette is an alumna of Yale University and Teach For America. She is fluent in Spanish.
As a Spencer Fellow, Colette will examine what the end of affirmative action means for students, the legacy it leaves, and how the K-12 world should proceed in this new landscape.