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jbessmor

@jbessmor.bsky.social
1.7K followers 1.7K following 268 posts

Ph.D., history of slavery & gendered violence. Moved here from the other place. Navigating finishing a book. In solidarity with other researchers who have lost funding. Dog person, obviously.

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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Today's laws about rape and consent come from laws written long, long ago that protected the attacker/assumed consent/blamed victims. This will be the result as long as the laws remain unchanged.
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Bob Ballentine @raballentine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This is a start. #Cornell www.yahoo.com/news/us/arti...
yahoo.com
Cornell Student Diego Sarabia Loses Wells Fargo Job Amid Alleged Sexual Assault Case
Diego Sarabia, one of the Cornell students accused of sexual assault, is suddenly out of a job at Wells Fargo as prosecutors reopen their investigation of the alleged 2024 incident ... TMZ has learned...
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The Carter Center @cartercenter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Our spring internship deadline is coming up fast! Opportunities are available across several programs and include a stipend. Bring your skills and apply by Oct. 12 at the link in the comments!
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Brandi K. Adams @bkadams.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Now that this has been proven through DNA testing, it’s time for a reread of William Wells Brown’s novel Clotel. He knew about Thomas Jefferson. A lot of folks knew.
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
"Why were these men allowed to 'pursue their education in a secure and nourishing environment' and she was not?Why was she not informed of the outcome of her own Title IX investigation? Who benefited from the 23 months of elapsed time when the public knew nothing?" www.cornellsun.com/article/2026...
cornellsun.com
EDITORIAL | Cornell Won’t, We Will
The Editorial Board demands that Cornell stops protecting the alleged Chi Phi rapists through the University's opaque sexual assault policies.
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Let’s tell the truth’: Smithsonian head given standing ovation as he hits back at Trump attacks
Outgoing secretary Lonnie Bunch rejects claims the institution is unpatriotic, telling audience ‘You cannot understand all without illuminating the dark corners’
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Joanne Freeman @jbf1755.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
This change (back) means COVID vaccines are covered by insurance.
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BK. Titanji @boghuma.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Get your fall vaccines! For the next 24h, drop any infectious disease and/or vaccine related questions in response to this post, and I will do my best to answer them. Answers are for information only, NOT medical advice. #AskAnIDDoc September 2026 edition.
static.klipy.com
Spongebob Proudly Vaccinated Muscles
ALT: Spongebob Proudly Vaccinated Muscles
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PBS News @pbsnews.org · 26/09/2026
Ahmad Joudeh is a ballet dancer of unusual grace and grit. to.pbs.org/4AzeWKU
to.pbs.org
Syrian dancer reflects on escaping ISIS and finding freedom through ballet
Ahmad Joudeh is a ballet dancer of unusual grace and grit. He was born stateless in a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus, Syria. He has traveled far on the power of his dreams and the elegance of hi...
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Kate Dailey @katedailey.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Big news from Peter Dobrin and Sue Snyder and the @inquirer.com : William Penn Foundation offers to fund Academy of Natural Science for a year. Drexel did not say whether the had declined the offer. www.inquirer.com/arts/drexel-...
inquirer.com
William Penn Foundation offers funding to keep Academy of Natural Sciences museum open
A Drexel spokesperson did not say whether the school had declined the offer, but said, “No proposal has been presented that would provide a permanent, sustainable path forward" for the museum.
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Liz Covart @lizcovart.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
The CFP is up! I've been helping to organize a conference called Constitutions, Everywhere! with others interested in constitutions and the many ways early Americans used them. Please check it out, #Skystorians, as we would love to have you join us and participate.
librarycompany.org
Constitutions, Everywhere! Practicing Constitutionalism in Unexpected Times and Places in early modern North America and the British Empire – The Library Company of Philadelphia
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Manisha Sinha @profmsinha.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Historian here UT Austin has eliminated courses on slavery, civil rights, the Holocaust and women from its core curriculum. We know the kind of people who have censored history in the past. www.statesman.com/news/educati...
statesman.com
UT cuts all women and gender classes from core curriculum, drops race classes
The provost’s office also eliminated dozens of courses on race from counting toward the core curriculum.
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Holly Brewer @earlymodjustice.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
It’s dizzying to imagine that something like this could have been done with the Kennedy center to grow appreciation for the arts and build community.
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Cecelia Cancellaro @ceceliacancellaro.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Another well-deserved accolade for @chloeireton.bsky.social Slavery & Freedom in Black Thought in the Early Spanish Atlantic was awarded the 2026 Biennial Book Prize from the Society for Renaissance Studies: rensoc.org.uk/srs-book-pri... Big congrats Chloe! @universitypress.cambridge.org
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Family history and genealogy, media juicing up controversy and fawning over science while failing to get that yes the historical analysis was conclusive. I couldn't not write about this! Shorter: just read @agordonreed.bsky.social. karinwulf.com/trove/the-fa...
karinwulf.com
The Family History of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, and the Politics of Genealogy. - Karin Wulf
[The cover image is a page from Jefferson’s “Farm Book” at the Massachusetts Historical Society where he listed enslaved recipients of “Bread” at Monticello in 1810 –including Sally Hemings and four o...
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Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.theguardian.com/news/2026/se...
theguardian.com
Nearly 4m records of enslaved people in 20 former British colonies now searchable online
Exclusive: Collection’s 300,000 pages record lives of enslaved people in countries including the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa and Trinidad
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lovewins7.bsky.social @lovewins7.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Here's a gift article on why everyone should care: share.inquirer.com/Tt1WYq
share.inquirer.com
The Academy of Natural Sciences museum is closing, but all eyes are on its specimens — all 19 million of them
"Profound concern" over the fate of the Academy and its internationally significant collection.
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Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
David Ruggles, American hero, dedicated his life to making the world safer. He repeatedly risked his life & saved others as the founder of the NYC Vigilance Committee, an Underground Railroad conductor, & the of publisher of The Mirror Liberty. uncpress.org/book/9780807...
uncpress.org
David Ruggles
David Ruggles (1810–1849) was one of the most heroic — and has been one of the most often overlooked — figures of the early abolitionist movement in Am...
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Florian Louis @florianlouis.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Graham Russell Gao Hodges - Henry Highland Garnet A Passion for the Freedom-Idea À paraître en février aux Yale UP
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
www.chronicle.com/article/the-...
chronicle.com
Sally Hemings’s Oldest Descendant Gave the Smithsonian Her DNA. She Says It Lost Her Trust.
On the eve of a new book that promises to settle the debate about Thomas Jefferson, a Hemings relative is raising alarms that its science hasn’t been vetted.
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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Two Centuries On, Smithsonian Connects Jefferson’s Hair to Hemings’s Children www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/a...
nytimes.com
Two Centuries On, Smithsonian Connects Jefferson’s Hair to Hemings’s Children (Gift Article)
A new book describes how cutting-edge genomics techniques yielded “extraordinary proof” that Thomas Jefferson fathered children with Sally Hemings.
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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#tdih 1868 Camilla Massacre 💔, Albany, Ga. After being expelled from elected office, African Americans & a few whites bravely marched to attend a political rally. Fired upon by whites in town, & pursued as they fled. Followed by weeks of #votersuppression 🧵 www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ca...
zinnedproject.org
Sept. 19, 1868: Camilla Massacre
As African Americans marched peacefully in response to their expulsion from elected office, more than a dozen were massacred near Albany, Georgia.
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Marcus Rediker @marcusrediker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My blurb for Chloe Ireton’s new book, forthcoming from Hurst in November: “Chloe Ireton has brought to vivid life a love story in *Plotting for Freedom* and thereby made a unique, moving, deeply human, and sure to be lasting contribution to Atlantic history.” hurstpublishers.com/book/plottin...
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L Bates @theafricanus.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
When the political right complains about learning of African Americans in U.S. history, this is they type of history they are so afraid of hearing. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. (@eji.org) calendar.eji.org/racial-injus...
calendar.eji.org
Sep. 19, 1868 | White Mobs Ambush Black People in Georgia in Mass Lynching
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
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Internet Archive @archive.org · 04/09/2026
We’ve teamed up with Better World Books for a brand new initiative, “For the Love of Books.” By donating to the Internet Archive through October 31, your gift will go towards supporting literacy and preservation 📚❤️ Make your donation here: donate.archive.org/campaign/838...
Internet Archive logo alongside the Better World Books logo, a blue-to-green winged book icon above the text "Better World Books," on a mustard-yellow background.
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emerald53.bsky.social @emerald53.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat and an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, has led efforts to block President Donald Trump’s name from being added to the building. She got a judge to require 30 days notice before demolition after giving Trump hell in person. www.ms.now/news/trump-t...
ms.now
Rep. Beatty: Trump conduct in Kennedy Center meeting was the "most unprofessional thing I've seen"
Trump "threw a tantrum" after a judge blocked him from adding his name to the performing arts venue, the congresswoman said.
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Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Things are not great at Auburn www.al.com/news/2026/09...
al.com
Protesters speak out against ‘climate of fear’ after Auburn University dissolves faculty senate
Auburn’s decision came after the Alabama Legislature put limits on the powers of faculty senates.
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Jonathan Slater @jonathanslater.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Tired doggies.
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Katie Phang @katiephang.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Today would’ve been my father’s 95th birthday. In search of a better life, he came to America with only $2.43 and a Korean-English dictionary. He had no friends or family here. Like many immigrants, he dreamt of the promise of what this country could offer. Each day I work to honor his memory.
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Berkshire Conference of Women Historians @berksconference.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Exhibitor and Vendor Registration is open! We have two exhibit booth options, and both come with two free conference registrations. Visit our website for more info and to reserve your space: tinyurl.com/5djwe7nw Prices go up after January 1, 2027.
Big Berks 2027
Vendor and Exhibitor registration
is open!OPTION ONE
Full Booth: $1,400

8′ × 10′ exhibit space
One 6′ table with black table cover
Two folding chairs
One 11″ × 17″ booth identification sign

plus two
FREE REGISTRATIONS
to the conference!OPTION TWO
Single Table & Chair: $700

One 6′ table with black table cover
Two folding chairs
One 11″ × 17″ booth identification sign

plus two
FREE REGISTRATIONS
to the conference!FOR FULL DETAILS
and to reserve your space, visit tinyurl.com/5djwe7nw

Prices increase after January 1, 2027

Also see our site for info about co-sponsorships, advertising, and other ways to support the Big Berks!
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ACLU @aclu.org · 14/09/2026
National Voter Registration Day is right around the corner, so we’re making sure people know their voting rights. The iconic @wkamaubell.bsky.social is kicking it off and @blackvotersmatterfund.org is joining us to talk through how to protect, defend, and exercise your right to vote.
Black graphic with text "Know your rights training - election safeguarding
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Seth Rockman @sethrockman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is a big one: Brown University is searching for the next director of the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice. Please help us identify excellent candidates to lead this signature program into the future. Please write me with ideas; please share in your networks; please apply.
networks.h-net.org
Brown University - Professor and Director of the Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice | H-Net
1. Academic Accomplishment. We seek a scholar with a strong scholarly record, including excellence in both research and teaching, appropriate for appointment at the level of full professor in a social science, humanities, or arts department at Brown.
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Mississippi Free Press @mississippifreepress.org · 14/09/2026
A decline in moths and other nighttime pollinators could impact the bird species that rely on them as a source for food, a problem compounded since many migrating birds are affected by artificial light pollution at night, said Murry Burgess of Mississippi State University. buff.ly/YzeO9JX
mississippifreepress.org
As Data Centers Expand, Advocates Call for Regulations on Lights
Mississippi has 25 data centers among the Midwest’s 600 total. Light pollution rules would protect migrating birds and nighttime pollinators.
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"The use of artificial intelligence in the educational process signals to students that their professors don’t care enough to create a unique learning environment for them."
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Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I have listened to and read lots and lots of What AI will Mean for College and the one big thing that gets skips all the time is TEACHING. Information provided is not teaching. 8/
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Niall Harbison @niallharbison.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The last 30 mins of the fundraiser. Any support appreciated. 113km done and hospital nearly fully funded www.happydoggo.com/tinas-hospit...
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Niall Harbison @niallharbison.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Europe is now asleep. 🇺🇸 America and rest of world we need your help! I am currently 50km into the 120km run to raise money for Tina’s hospital. You can donate here 🙏 www.happydoggo.com/tinas-hospit...
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Willi Morris @williesha.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The Auburn board approved: - Policy giving board more control of curriculum - A mandatory syllabus database - Undergraduates must take a US history and civics classes. (I confirmed - history department wasn't consulted.) Profs hit with more than faculty senate news. www.al.com/news/2026/06...
al.com
Auburn requires faculty to upload syllabi, adds mandatory civics classes
Auburn's board of trustees also approved dissolving the faculty senate and creating a new presidential council.
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Mary Dudziak @marydudziak.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.instagram.com/p/DcaWedWAXv...
Via the_hindu on Instagram: How to live in the age of A.I., with cartoons showing examples including read slowly, make ugly things, avoid instant replies, trust your gut, and more.
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Michelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
You cannot spoil a dog enough: #AGoodPlace Source: www.reddit.com/r/MadeMeSmil...
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Folger Shakespeare Library @folger.edu · 10/09/2026
Shakespeare lived through climate change, too. Scholar Harry R. McCarthy says characters in the plays—from Titania to Viola to the courtiers in "The Temptest"—show the power in catastrophic times of turning "our thoughts to the collective over the individual." www.folger.edu/blogs/shakes...
folger.edu
Titania's warning to America | Folger Shakespeare Library
Folger Shakespeare Library is the world's largest Shakespeare collection, the ultimate resource for exploring Shakespeare and his world. Shakespeare belongs to you. His world is vast. Come explore. Jo...
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ACLU @aclu.org · 10/09/2026
BREAKING: A federal court found that Oklahoma's law doesn't prevent teachers from discussing concepts related to gender or race in public schools. Students and educators across the state can once again teach, learn, and discuss the world around them without fear of punishment.
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Academe @academemagazine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
New on Academe Blog:
academeblog.org
Results from the 2026 Faculty in the South Survey
BY MATTHEW BOEDY Fears About Working Conditions Deepen for Faculty in the South The annual Faculty in the South Survey reveals optimism about AI but worsening fears about the impacts of government …
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Penn Press @pennpress.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Congratulations to our Penn Press finalists for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize from the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, Frederick Douglass Portrait and Abolition: Kim F. Hall's THE SWEET TASTE OF EMPIRE and Casey Schmitt's THE PREDATORY SEA! bit.ly/46idC1c
bit.ly
Yale Announces 2026 Frederick Douglass Book Prize Finalists
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
"Regardless of what happens, that’s what you have to fight for, and those are the lines that you won’t cross no matter what.”
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Annette Gordon-Reed @agordonreed.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
www.oah.org/2026/09/08/o...
oah.org
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Barbara J. King @bjking.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
The @nytimes.com challenge: look at this image of a tree for 10 minutes. It's the Angel Oak near Charleston, SC, a large, gorgeous living being. I have loved being on site in this tree's presence! #tree #trees #AngelOak #nature #naturephotography
nytimes.com
10-Minute Challenge: Angel Oak (Gift Article)
We’d like you to look at this tree for 10 minutes, uninterrupted.
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 06/09/2026
"Generic State is particularly proud of our traditions of doublethink, in which we tout our stated mission to make education accessible to all while simultaneously celebrating the clear financial winners of education (i.e., not English majors)." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/gen...
mcsweeneys.net
Generic State University Pivots to Dark Academia
“Generic State University has been proudly upholding its mission to provide opportunities and build character in all students since its founding. Now, we tur...
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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Following a suffrage bill that recognized women’s right to vote in the general election and hold public office in Wyoming, women, including Black women, voted on #tdih 1870. Nearly 50 years before 19th Amendment & almost 100 years before Voting Rights Act. www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/bl...
zinnedproject.org
Sept. 6, 1870: Women Vote in Wyoming
Following a suffrage bill that recognized women’s right to vote and hold public office in Wyoming, Black women there became the first to vote in a U.S. territory in 1870.
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jbessmor @jbessmor.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
"But literacy researchers have long argued that literacy involves far more than reading novels or parsing Victorian prose. It includes the ability to interpret, evaluate and create meaning across a range of texts, media and social contexts."
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