Sign in

Christina Proenza-Coles

@proenzacoles.bsky.social
5.4K followers 1.6K following 627 posts

Author of AMERICAN FOUNDERS: How People of African Descent Established Freedom in the New World. I study, research, teach, & post American history.

PostsRepliesMedia
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Charlotte Hawkins Brown (b. 1883) author, educator, descendant of formerly enslaved grandparents, founded a boarding school in North Carolina in the 1920s. Her niece, Maria Hawkins Cole, attended. Cole sang with Duke Ellington, married Nat King Cole, & was the mother of Natalie Cole.
052 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
“I think a memorial to Lilian Smith should be inside each of us, it should be in how we act, how we treat people, how we use our power and privilege to protect people who don’t have as much…”
143 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
I loved meeting Emilio Sanchez in The Last Slave Ships and can't wait to read the biography. I've ordered another copy of The Last Slave Ships to share with a scholar here in Spain who works on the illegal trade from Gallinas in Sierra Leone to Cuba in the 19C.
100 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
“A revelatory and immersive biography of a white Southern woman who was a key figure in the early civil rights movement, devoting her life to ending segregation in America only to be forgotten by history.”
1103 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
“Dolly Parton’s ancestors, just like the majority of the poor non-slaveholding East Tennesseans, declared continued allegiance to “the old flag” and took up arms against those who supported the Confederacy.”
070 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
“More than half of the 2,000 people who lived in Williamsburg in the 18th century were Black.”
13812 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Artist Laura Wheeler Waring was a renowned portrait painter during the Harlem Renaissance. Her mother, Christiana Freeman, was an Underground Railroad agent & the daughter of Philip Livingston (grandson of a Declaration of Independence signer) & Barbara Williams, an enslaved woman from Jamaica.
Waring made this oil portrait, "Girl in a Green Cap,” in 1948. Her portraits generally depicted well-known Black American figures, however, the identity of this young woman is unknown. She is seated, wearing jade jewelry and white gossamer sleeves, looking past the viewer.
05020 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Unfathomably horrific yet was institutionalized in so many places for so long...
010 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I really enjoyed reading Taylor Jenkins Reid's Atmosphere and Carrie Soto Is Back. I have found all of her books very entertaining, easy to read, and smart.
010 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
The program at the Libraries of Barcelona is based on work here espanaesclavista.es
espanaesclavista.es
Inicio - España esclavista
España Esclavista es una herramienta para divulgar los legados materiales del pasado esclavista español y ofrecer recursos e información sobre dicha realidad.
010 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Libraries of Barcelona is hosting a program on Catalonia and the Legacy of Slavery this month. So excellent to encounter local scholars & work that I didn’t know about. Also very nice to see a familiar face - so to speak - at the library. @marcusrediker.bsky.social
Cover of Marcus Rediker's book, "The Slave Ship: A Human History," translated into Spanish. The cover image features the horrifying stowage plan for the slave ship "Brooks" from Liverpool that was commissioned by abolitionists in 1788. The image is extremely disturbing, but the sight of an important and familiar book was most welcomed when I saw it last night.
1194 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
In 1577 in Panama "The tiny Spanish population - perhaps 800 men, women, & children - was entirely dependent upon the free & enslaved African-descended majority of about 6000, & they also feared them, particularly the thousands of cimarrones [self-freed] living outside of Spanish jurisdiction."
2168 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan on X) @markanthonyneal.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The Unsung Women Behind America’s Most Celebrated Civil Rights Protest The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Marcia Chatelain revisits the 1963 March on Washington, placing overlooked Black women at the center of the story. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/b...
nytimes.com
Book Review: ‘How Bright the Path Grows,’ by Marcia Chatelain (Gift Article)
The Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Marcia Chatelain revisits the 1963 March on Washington, placing overlooked Black women at the center of the story.
2345109 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I can’t wait for this www.ugapress.org/978082038100...
ugapress.org
With the Pen in One Hand and the Sword in the Other
Michael Deibert’s With the Pen in One Hand and the Sword in the Other is a sweeping history of Haiti’s first century, examining its complex internal poli...
011 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Elated that my next book, Imagining Whiteness in the Pan-American South, is under contract with the University of Georgia Press. This project began over 25 years ago with an article, “What Color is Cuban?” and still feels just as timely.
Abstract for "What Color is Cuban? Complexities of Ethnic and Racial Identity" by Christina Proenza in Cuban Transitions at the Millennium, Eloise Linger & John Cotman, eds. Global Development Studies, 2000.
2226 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
“At Monticello, descendants of enslavers and descendants of the enslaved are attempting to fashion a family from a fractured past.”
0158 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In 1944 Rosa Parks organized against sexual violence and led the NAACP’s investigation of the six men who sexually assaulted a young mother in Alabama. See Jeanne Theoharis, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.
Rosa Parks’ letter to Governor in support of Recy Taylor, c. 1944, Alabama Department of Archives and History, featured by The New York Historical.
1158 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"She asks us to examine the cumulative cost of systems that extract more from some people while returning less."
0125 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
In 1848 Boston attorney Robert Morris challenged school segregation in court a century before Brown v Board of Ed. In 1787 Black Bostonians had petitioned for equal education as well. Morris fought for the rights of his Black & Irish American clients & was appointed a magistrate by the governor.
Studio portrait of a man in a suit, with watch chain, gazing directly at the viewer.
08038 0
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...
14016 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
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...
03111 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
Marcus Rediker @marcusrediker.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
My blurb: “Graham Hodges has made a lifetime of major contributions to the study of American slavery and abolition. His biography of Henry Highland Garnet is a triumph -- a deeply-researched and altogether brilliant portrait.” yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...
16316 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
Silas Lapham @silaslapham.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Next week @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social An Inconvenient Woman The Extraordinary Life of Lillian Smith, the Southerner Who Defied Jim Crow America comes out. @yallaintrightco.bsky.social has partnered with Merritt to promote Smith and the book. yallaintright.co/collections/...
yallaintright.co
An Inconvenient Woman Special Collection
This collection comes out of a partnership with historian Keri Leigh Merritt, whose biography An Inconvenient Woman recovers the story of Lillian Smith, a white Southern writer who spent her life figh...
095 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
In 1862, Susie King Taylor joined the US Army to fight against slavery. Her captain wrote “I regret that you are debarred from having your name on the roll of pensioners as an Army Nurse; for among all the number of heroic women whom the government is now rewarding, I know of no one more deserving.”
Extremely crisp image of a woman in military bodice and full skirt, seated in a garden. From a plate glass negative made by Samuel Willard Bridgham, a photographer who served on the board of the US Sanitary Commission during the Civil War.
18544213 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I just came across this review of the audio book of American Founders on Goodreads. Yes, I am incredibly happy to read it and indulgently posting it. But even more to the point, this reviewer articulates the aims of the project more effectively than I could.
This is a screen shot of text from a Goodreads review of the audio book American Founders.
1102 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The State Library & Archives of Florida calls this image Seated Girl & Boy Holding Hat. It’s among many beautiful portraits of Black Floridians made by photographer Alvan Harper between 1884 & 1910 whose names were not preserved.
Studio portrait of a young girl and boy, both beautifully dressed, gazing at a point beyond the viewer.
572785465 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Established in 1937, Wake-Robin is the oldest Black women’s golf club in the country. This is a photograph of members from 1938, the same year that Wake-Robin members petitioned the US Secretary of the Interior for the desegregation of golf courses.
Six smartly dressed women holding golf clubs, posing for the camera.
14317 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
William Whipper (b. 1804) used his resources to champion abolition, voting rights, & non-violent resistance. HIs lumber & coal ventures provided him means to organize against slavery, assist scores of people seeking freedom via the Underground Railroad, & meet with President Andrew Johnson.
Oil on canvas portrait of William Whipper c. 1835 attributed to William Matthew Prior. Whipper is elegantly dressed & holds a small book with his initials in gilt letters. Collection of the Fenimore Art Museum.
12710 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Ralph Bunche, political scientist & diplomat, won the Nobel in 1950. He & Barack Obama descended from John Punch, an enslaved African man who had a son with an indentured European servant in the 1630s. Their progeny split into the "white" Punches of VA (Obama’s line) & the “colored” Bunches of NC.
Handsome smiling man in coat and tie.
25317 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
A portrait of Pauline with her charges from the book “Soublette et Fils: Photography in Curaçao around 1900” featuring photographs from the studio of Robert Soublette.
Formal portrait of a woman holding infant twins & gazing directly at the viewer.
2229 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
As a young student, Maritcha Lyons (b. 1848), testified before the Rhode Island State Legislature for her right to attend school - as an adult she fought for racial justice & gender equality as an educator & founder of the Woman’s Loyal Union of New York.
Formal portrait a beautifully dressed young girl.
05110 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
Miami Herald @miamiherald.com · 02/08/2026
Human bondage was big business in the antebellum US, and men weren't the only ones cashing in.
bit.ly
American slavery wasn't just a white man's business − white women profited, too
Human bondage was big business in the antebellum US, and men weren't the only ones cashing in.
2199 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
As I wrote in American Founders: Americans are the descendants of slaves & slave owners both literally & figuratively. Our families trees are intertwined (see Jeffersons, Washingtons, Madisons.) People of African descent contributed to the development of the US in every possibly way.
13722 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Aug 19 here!
020 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Homeowners. St. Augustine had a significant Black community & they established a thriving area called Lincolnville after the Civil War where they built homes, business, churches, & schools.
181 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The Spanish founded St. Augustine in Florida in 1565 & the settlement included people of African ancestry. The marriage recorded between Luisa de Abrego, an Afro-Hispanic woman, & a Spanish soldier named Miguel Rodriquez in 1565 is now considered the oldest known Christian marriage in US history.
1111 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
This portrait from around 1922 depicts Rosa and Moses Demps with their children in front of their home in St. Augustine. Black families lived in St. Augustine since before the English arrived in Jamestown - parish registers recorded the birth of a Black child in St. Augustine in 1606.
Photographer Richard Twine made this portrait of two parents & their children, all beautifully dressed. The glass plate negative is held by the St. Augustine Historical Society.
56428 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
The Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida c. 1966. From the archival collection of The Black Archives History & Research Foundation of South Florida.
Four young girls wearing girl scout uniforms and saluting.
35321 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
As a fellow native of Miami Dade, I love the work of Melissa Gutierrez. AKA West of Chester, her online shop is open now for 24 hours. I couldn’t resist getting a 2nd print of this because I love the ubiquitous Spanish expression ojalá (derived from Arabic) that means LET'S HOPE! westofchester.com
Brightly colored print of two abuela's sitting at a table chatting, over their heads is printed "Ojala"
0122 0
Reposted by Christina Proenza-Coles
Miami Herald @miamiherald.com · 23/07/2026
As Miami-Dade County government officials, we know how important Haitian TPS-holders are to our economy and community. | opinion
bit.ly
Scott and Moody’s last chance to protect Haiti TPS — and South Florida’s economy | Opinion
As Miami-Dade County government officials, we know how important Haitian TPS-holders are to our economy and community. | opinion
084 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
When Charlayne Hunter-Gault arrived at University of GA in 1961, some white students responded with violence; she was suspended “for her safety” but returned with a court order & earned a journalism degree. Portrait by Jospeh Schwarz, a professor who organized a faculty resolution to reinstate her.
Oil on canvas portrait of a woman looking to the side, her sweater and the background are similar shades of rusty sepia while her arms and face are luminous. The National Portrait Gallery describes the figure's expression as “cooly determined.”
23912 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Dr. Caroline Still Anderson (born in Philadelphia in 1848) was a physician & educator. Her parents, William & Letitia Still, were leaders in the Underground Railroad who helped scores of Americans to free themselves from slavery. Her grandparents were themselves self-liberated, formerly enslaved.
Studio portrait of an elegantly dressed woman in hat and gloves, gazing past the viewer.
3449145 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
After buying her freedom, Elizabeth Keckley established a clothing business in Washington DC in 1860 favored by the elite. During the Civil War she established an organization to assist formerly enslaved Americans. After Lincoln’s assassination she published a memoir to raise funds for his widow.
Portrait of a woman, standing, in an elegant full length dress. Elizabeth Keckley, 1861, dressmaker to Mary Todd Lincoln, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University.
24321 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
“Saunders & 180 other known Black or Indigenous soldiers were stationed at the Redding Encampment — sometimes referred to as ‘Connecticut’s Valley Forge.’ From June to September 1778, personnel documents describe Saunders as tending the sick at the actual Valley Forge in Pennsylvania.”
1159 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Dr. Edward Bouchet (born in New Haven, CT in 1852) was among the first Americans in U.S. history to earn a Ph.D. in physics. The son of a formerly enslaved father, Dr. Bouchet earned his doctorate from Yale in 1876.
Portrait of a man in a jacket & tie gazing to the side. The bottom reads "Edward A. Bouchet, New Haven"
151185297 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
“This is a modern city that doesn’t understand its origin 5,000 years ago. So many people in Miami are really interested. We should be creating those opportunities to create that sense of place. This all didn’t just spring out of the ground.” Read more at: www.miamiherald.com/news/local/c...
miamiherald.com
Miami’s forgotten ancient past is hiding beneath a Joe & the Juice. Yes, really
Under Whole Foods, under a stadium, under Brickell condos — Miami’s Tequesta past keeps surfacing, then gets buried by development.
0124 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
James Forten heard the 1st public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776; he participated in the American Revolution & fought for its ideals long after the war. A skilled entrepreneur & ardent abolitionist, his wife & daughters founded the 1st interracial antislavery society for women.
Watercolor portrait of James Forten in profile wearing coat & tie painted around 1818. Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
91461354 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Gertrude Mossell (here in a portrait with her daughters c. 1890) was a journalist & educator. Her great grandfather, Cyrus Bustill, served with Washington’s troops during the American Revolution & helped found Philadelphia’s Free African Society. Her sister was Paul Robeson’s mother.
Grainy but beautiful photograph of a mother flanked by her young daughters.
012636 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
During the American Revolution, Cuffee Saunders (born in Guyana) was an enslaved medical assistant who served with the Patriots. He treated the wounded & purchased his freedom with his enlistment bounty. His son, Prince Saunders (pictured), a Dartmouth grad, was Haiti's attorney general.
Etching of a well dressed man in a relaxed pose gazing at the viewer. The bottom reads "P. Saunders Esq."
421771 0
Christina Proenza-Coles @proenzacoles.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Austin Curtis an enslaved jockey whom E. Hotaling calls the US’s “1st truly great professional athlete” was granted freedom after hiding horses from the British during the American Revolution. NC legislature added his former owner's surname in his emancipation record hence "Austin Jones" in his obit
Newspaper text "On the 10th of July at Halifax NC. Austin Jones, a colored man, aged about 50, well known for many years past as keeper of race horses...in which he particularly excelled...He possessed the esteem of many - the respect & confidence of all who knew him."
02512 0