J Coley (they/them) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY. They are an urban sociologist and public scholar who specializes in the areas of race and racism, social inequality, gentrification, and housing. J has established themselves as an expert in the field having been quoted in several recent New York Times articles following the mass shooting at the Tops Supermarket on the East Side of Buffalo. Further, they are a co-creator of the #BuffaloSyllabus, a collection of works about the historical roots and contemporary implications of racism in Buffalo, New York. J's dissertation, “Gentrification and Displacement in the American Rust Belt: A Qualitative Study of Neighborhood Change and Experience,” is an examination into the lives of people affected by gentrification and displacement on the East Side of Buffalo.