Black College Grad Scuffles With White Educator Before Viral Mic Drop: ‘I Did It For Girls That Look Like Me’
A video showing Kadia Iman, a Black college graduate from Queens, and her mic drop moment at her graduation ceremony has gone viral in footage that has sparked a strong reaction online.
The TikTok in question shows the Black woman forcefully grabbing the device from a white administrator who tried to fight her off but quickly lost her grip. The graduate was peeved and vented her displeasure about allegedly being prevented from announcing her full name like the other white graduates.
@kadiaimantv @tiktok you are racist stop removing mt video i am a black woman speaking from being silences … why take my video down ( full story on my page )
“I want the mic! Let go! You didn’t let me get my moment,” she said before telling stunned onlookers her full name. “I’m graduating today. I don’t like how you snatched the mic out of my hand, so today is going to be all about me!”
Donning a pink-topped cap and black gown, Iman then drops the mic and storms off. She received cheers and applause from some audience members and a loud “congratulations” from the cameraperson, although most bystanders seemed bewildered by the incident.
In a separate TikTok, she explained what unfolded.
“Basically, what happened was I was walking on, and we had to say our names before we get on the stage,” she said in the video. “So I was saying my name, and she literally — my name is long, obviously, I have like three syllables in my name.”
@kadiaimantv Replying to @mochabankz2.0
“So, I didn’t even get to finish saying my name, and then the people that went before me, they all got to say their name, their major and even extras,” Iman explained.
“Me and another girl noticed that she was pulling the mic down super fast for some Black people — I don’t want to be that person, so I just couldn’t let her … I just couldn’t let that happen,” the young woman continued.
“I just feel like I worked so hard to graduate and went through so much s**t to graduate that I just felt like I had to reclaim my moment. I’m sorry. I’m not a problematic person. I don’t want to ruin no one’s day,” Iman concluded.
The video received thousands of comments.
“I’m so glad you stood up for yourself [and] had your moment! I’m proud of you [and] congratulations!!” a user wrote.
“‘I had to reclaim my moment’ AND DID,” another said.
“All the black girls stand up,” one commented.
However, the OnlyFans digital creator has also faced backlash for the event.
“We are raising a generation of shrieking infants, giving them college degrees and calling them ‘educated,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Great way to let the world know you’re a [piece of sh**t]…” another tweeted.
Great way to let the world know you're a POS.
A college graduate has gone viral after she snatched the microphone from a faculty member who didn’t allow her to say her full name during graduation.
Kadia Iman, who is an aspiring Popstar, took matters into her own hands and… pic.twitter.com/3n2cnySRA4
— Real Life Footage (@RealLifeFootage) June 22, 2023
However, Iman has added that she is not the “bad guy” for grabbing the device from the educator over the name snub.
“To everyone saying I should be embarrassed or I’ll never get a job… I’m a black woman in America,” she posted on her Instagram Story. “I am always in the right… [you] will not gaslight me into thinking I’m the bad guy. I did it for girls that look like me. Love [you].”
The reactions may be mixed, but one thing’s for sure: Kadia Iman got her moment.
