Graduate who ripped mic from hand of apparent school official reportedly answers critics with defiance: 'I’m a black woman in America I am always in the right'

A graduate who was caught on a now-viral video ripping a microphone from the hand of an apparent school official and telling the stunned crowd that "today it's gonna be all about me!" has reportedly replied to critics with defiance.

What's the background?

The 22-second clip from TikTok user @kadiaimantv depicts a large gathering on a grassy area at an unnamed campus with graduates dressed in black caps and gowns as a crowd looks on.

The clip begins with the female graduate engaged in a short but intense wrestling match for the microphone with what appears to be an older female school official who's also dressed in a cap and gown.

Now in control of the microphone, the graduate makes a short speech to the apparent school official she tussled with — and to the crowd: "You didn't let me get my moment ... and I'm graduating today! I don't like how you snatched the mic out of my hand, so today it's gonna be all about me!" She then slams the microphone to the ground and walks away.

Here's the clip of the altercation; it has received 3.2 million likes and 24 million views since it was posted Wednesday:

The New York Post reported that Iman has since delivered a message to her detractors on Instagram: “To everyone saying I should be embarrassed or I’ll never get a job … I’m a black woman in America I am always in the right … u will not gaslight me into thinking I’m the bad guy I did it for girls that look like me ...”

While the post didn't appear on her Instagram page Friday afternoon, the same screenshot the Post provided has appeared on social media:

Other posts that remained on Iman's Instagram page Friday contain the same pink background and white text; others are equally as defiant:

Image source: Instagram video screenshot via @kadiaiman

The Post added that the mic-snatching incident took place during LaGuardia Community College’s graduation ceremony, which was held Wednesday. The Post said the ceremony was held on the campus of Queens College in New York City.

The paper added that a LaGuardia spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Friday — and that efforts to reach Iman have been unsuccessful.

Anything else?

Iman posted a separate video offering her perspective on the mic-snatching incident:

I was walking on, and we had to announce our names, to say our name before we got on the stage, so I was saying my name, and she literally — my name is long, obviously, I have like, three syllables in my name, I'm not gonna say exactly my name right now ... so I didn't even finish getting to say my name, and then the people that went before me and everything, they all got to say their name, their major, and even extras. And me and the other girl noticed that she was pulling the mic down super fast for some black people. ... I just couldn't let that happen, 'cuz 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, like, I'm not a problematic person, I don't wanna ruin no one's day, I don't wanna violate anybody, but that's what she did. She didn't even let me finish speaking; she [pulled] the mic down, cut me off, and that was the only time I was able to speak. So, I just feel like that wasn't right.

Content warning: language:

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