When The Daily Texan last talked to Dr. Kevin Foster, associate professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and producer of “Blackademics TV” in 2015, “Blackademics” was preparing to premiere its third season. Now, the show celebrates over a decade on PBS, reaching over 30% of American households. 

Following the airing of its 11th season on Feb. 23, “Blackademics” returns to campus this year, filming its 12th season before a live audience on Wednesday and Thursday at the Texas Union Theater. Foster said this season’s topics range from the importance of Black student community to the mismeasurement of race on the US census. The 12th season features former and current UT-affiliated presenters such as Brianna McBride, Dr. Devin Walker, Dr. Autumn Caviness and Dr. Ricardo Henrique Lowe Jr.

Lowe, a UT postdoctoral scholar of race and public policy, said that in light of changes to the 2020 census, his research stands more important now than ever. He said the new census question, which includes write-in lines, heightens the probability of racial misclassification.

“I want to change the way that statisticians and survey methodologists measure race and ethnicity,” Lowe said. “I want (to create) an intersectional approach that allows us to recognize the distinctions that underlie what it means to be Hispanic, but also what it means to be Black Hispanic, Black Latino or Asian Latino.”

Lowe spoke about his research at the filming on Wednesday. Foster said that alongside UT-affiliated presenters like Lowe, the production staff for the show consists completely of current or former UT students.

Kendra Coleman, who started working on “Blackademics” as a student volunteer, graduated from UT in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and holds a master’s degree in sports management from North Central University. She now works full-time as a producer for “Blackademics TV.” Coleman said that she felt proud seeing the growth of the program over the years.

“We started (humble) and in the community. And now it’s a nationwide television show,” Coleman said. “When we first began, we just had students in the audience. As we’ve gone (on) it’s become a staple in the community, a staple in the Black Studies department.”

Foster said because many Black studies students double major in other areas such as radio-television-film or business, they can combine their research in Black studies with the skills they developed from other fields to bring scholarship to the public in an accessible way.

“I believe in bringing teaching, research and community-engaged work together,” Foster said.  “When we do ‘Blackademics,’ we have a product that is great for teaching and learning and at the same time, we’re serving our local (and national) community.”

Crayton Gerst, M.F.A. film student and creative director for “Blackademics,” said “Blackademics” exhibits his first project aimed primarily for television. Gerst, in his second season working on “Blackademics,” said he commends the show’s effect on the community.

“Oftentimes, there’s this feeling that academia and the community are two separate things,” Gerst said. “Part of being an academic is doing the research but also finding ways to produce tangible effects and results from it. That’s what ‘Blackademics’ is.”

Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to correct name misspellings and failures to include position titles. The Texan regrets this error.