Terri L. Friedline

Dr. Terri Friedline writes, organizes, and teaches about racial capitalism, technology and the financial system. She is a professor of social work at the University of Michigan and is the author of “Banking on a Revolution: Why Financial Technology Won’t Save a Broken System” (Oxford University Press). Friedline’s writing draws on critical theories and is inspired by abolitionist politics. Her recent writings focus on debt as racialized and gendered violence, credit scoring as a carceral practice and financial technology (“fintech”) as invasive infrastructure. Her academic research has been published in top peer-reviewed journals, such as Social Service Review, Race and Social Problems, and Frontiers in Public Health, and her public writing has appeared in popular news magazines, such as Current Affairs, Ms., and The Intercept.

Friedline is active in policy. She has served as a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Academic Research Council, has volunteered on the economic policy council of a presidential campaign, and has been endorsed by the Progressive Talent Pipeline. Friedline has presented her research before financial system regulators, provided written testimony to congressional committees, and served as an expert witness in discrimination lawsuits against banks.

Friedline holds a BSW from Messiah College and an MSW and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work.