she got a ph.d. in political science from duke university in 1999. that year she married dennis lacewell. she divorced him in 2005. she is a professor of political science at tulane university. in 2004 her first book "barbershops, bibles, and bet: everyday talk and black political thought" was published. in 2011 yale press published perry's book "sister citizen: shame, stereotypes, and black women in america".