iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Day one kicked off strong! Students explored hip hop and the cultural landscape around the site. This sets the stage for murals, music, prints, wood, and metal pieces rooted in place. We use hip hop as a model — sampling the past to create something new.

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Hip Hop Time Capsule V underway — 1 week down! We hired nearly 50 high school & college interns ($1,200 each) to create murals, prints, metal/wood pieces, and music. They’re remixing labor history at Washington College’s future Innovation Plant (in Chestertown, MD) while building real-world skills.

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 08/05/2025

@actualkatherine.bsky.social I haven’t been on here in a while but after seeing this I had to come back and let you know!

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

I’m honored to lead Chesapeake Heartland: An African American Humanities Project! We’ve been awarded a major $339k grant from the National Archives to launch the next phase—and we have an incredible team ready to move it forward! 🫡 Read more below: www.washcoll.edu/live/news/dj...

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Ran my first 5k in years on Thursday! Took a little over two months to train up from no running at all. This was great for my self-discipline lol. Already looking forward to the next one!

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Ran my first 5k in years on Thursday! Took a little over two months to train up from no running at all. This was great for my self-discipline lol. Already looking forward to the next one!

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

Came back to this thread to share a write up from the 50th anniversary that Mary McLeod Bethune founded her school. My late grandmother’s handwriting in the margins offer commentary about Mary’s dream: “Perseverance” “Strength” “Not easily discouraged” “Not afraid to ask others to serve her dream”

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

We also stopped by Maryland State Archives for a presentation about potentially relevant records for our research.

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 19/11/2024

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Today, I joined other Black scholars to guide National Park Service interpretative programs about African American descendant communities across the Chesapeake Gateways network. #PublicHistory #ChesapeakeBay

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Here’s a clipping from “The Richmond Planet” that includes two ads by Ford’s Hair Pomade, several other hair care ads, ads for higher education for Black men, and some boxing sports talk including a piece about legends Jack Johnson. Source: Library of Congress

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 16/11/2024

Finding gems like this 1910 pomade ad is one of the best parts of my job, which tells a story about identity in the 19th and 20th centuries. Ford’s Hair Pomade originated in Chicago in the 1850s. #publichistory folks: what stories or artifacts have you uncovered that resonate with you?

“Hand holding a vintage advertisement featuring a testimonial for a hair care product called Ford’s Hair Pomade. The advertisement includes two black-and-white portrait photographs labeled ‘Before’ and ‘After,’ showing a man with ‘very kinky hair’ and straighter hair after use. The text details the transformation, the product’s efficacy, and a notarized statement from the man endorsing the product. The setting includes a desk with papers, a keyboard, a red phone case, and patterned fabric visible in the background.”

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 15/11/2024

Took a trip to Philly for a symposium at Weitzman School of Design. The topic was the future of cultural landscape preservation. This was the only photo I took—the “Wave Forms” public art sculpture from the view of a parking garage.

“View from a brick-lined window overlooking a unique outdoor sculpture called “Wave Forms” made of metal framework, resembling abstract, interconnected shapes. The sculpture sits on a circular tiled plaza surrounded by greenery. Autumn trees with vibrant yellow and green foliage frame the scene, with a few vehicles and buildings visible in the background.”

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

The Historic Preservation professionals Facebook group said that this book was a must have if one could find it. #CulturalLandscapeTheory #HistoricPreservation

Holding a book titled The Interpretation of Ordinary Landscapes: Geographical Essays. The cover is yellow-toned and features an image of a building with windows and a staircase. The authors listed include J.B. Jackson, Peirce F. Lewis, David Lowenthal, D.W. Meinig, Marwyn S. Samuels, David E. Sopher, and Yi-Fu Tuan, with D.W. Meinig as the editor. The background shows a bookshelf with various other books and a green plant hanging above.

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Darius @dariusjohnson.bsky.social · 12/11/2024

I recently contributed to a preservation plan for a late 18th-century home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It holds stories of agricultural development, slavery, and economic prosperity and struggle. #HistoricalPreservation #18thCentury #ColonialArchitecture #PublicHistory #ArchitecturalHistory

Cover image for the preservation plan of the historic Bloomfield Farm in Queen Anne’s County, Maryland.

Aerial photo of agricultural landscape with Bloomfield Farm as the subject in the center. Flanked by a residential development to the south and forest to the north.

Facade view of the Bloomfield plantation house.

Historic photo of the Bloomfield plantation house dating to 1916.

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