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Say Burgin

@sayburgin.bsky.social
626 followers 109 following 64 posts

20th C US Historian. Author of Organizing Your Own: The White Fight for Black Power in Detroit (NYU Press 2024). Bylines @ The Nation, WaPo, HuffPo.

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I Scare You Like Sound Dog @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 12/10/2026
The Atlantic publishing their Hasan Piker deep dive the day the President raids Ilhan Omar's home is also one hell of a contrast.
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Merriam-Webster @merriam-webster.com · 26/08/2026
The first known use of 'nine-to-five' as an adjective was in 1927. The first known use of 'nine-to-five' as a noun was in 1975.
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NY Times Pitchbot @nytpitchbot.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
I can't breathe the air, I can't eat lettuce, I can't afford gas, and my kids have measles. But at least now our soldiers will have enough testosterone.
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historianpub @historianpub.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Remembering Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. One of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, she was born #onthisday July 16, 1862.
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Ashley D. Farmer @drashleydfarmer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Time to pick your next read! Which books from @nyupress.bsky.social’s Black Power Series are calling to you? Maybe your manuscript is our next read. Writing about Black Power? Submit a proposal! More info: blackpowerseries.com @ibramxk.bsky.social
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Ashley D. Farmer @drashleydfarmer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Read Organizing Your Own: The White Fight for Black Power in Detroit by Say Burgin to find out how white activists supported Black Power through racially parallel organizing in Northern cities. @sayburgin.bsky.social
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Organizing Your Own: The White Fight for Black Power in Detroit by Say Burgin. @sayburgin.bsky.social
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
My book came out in paperback! You can snag a copy @nyupress.bsky.social for just $25 now. While you’re there, get yourself a copy of all the other books in the Black Power Series.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
“...GEO guards and ICE agents responded to the hunger strike and work stoppage with beatings. Detainees have reported... that striking units have even had the building’s ventilation cut off, while the floors in some cells are smeared with the blood of detainees" labornotes.org/blogs/2026/0...
labornotes.org
‘We Demand Freedom’: Immigrants on Strike in New Jersey Prison
On a patch of sidewalk on a busy industrial corridor in Newark, federal agents with rifles, metal batons, flak vests, and balaclavas faced off against unarmed activists with cardboard signs and a bull...
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Jonathan Cohn @jonathancohn.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
32 House Democrats joined the GOP to vote to criminalize bail funds. clerk.house.gov/Votes/2026169
Jim Costa (CA-21) 	Joe Morelle (NY-25) 
Henry Cuellar (TX-28) 	Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) 
Sharice Davids (KS-03) 	Frank Mrvan (IN-01) 
Don Davis (NC-01) 	Chris Pappas (NH-01) 
Laura Gillen (NY-04) 	Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) 
Jared Golden (ME-02) 	Josh Riley (NY-19) 
Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) 	Pat Ryan (NY-18) 
Maggie Goodlander (NH-02)	Hillary Scholten (MI-03) 
Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) 	Kim Schrier (WA-08) 
Adam Gray (CA-13) 	Eric Sorensen (IL-17) 
Josh Harder (CA-09) 	Darren Soto (FL-09) 
Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) 	Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10)
Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) 	Tom Suozzi (NY-03) 
Greg Landsman (OH-01) 	Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) 
Susie Lee (NV-03) 	Eugene Vindman (VA-07) 
Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) 	George Whitsides (CA-27)
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Zinn Education Project @zinnedproject.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Students don’t just study movements; they meet those inside them. Brigitte Charraus’ students “loved” the Black Panther Party mixer: “It was a way for students to engage & learn about the people behind the movement.” The lesson helped them understand the people & perspectives that shaped history.
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Mel Buer @melbuer.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
An entire generation of feminists were thrown in jail for distributing pamphlets on birth control, which violated Comstock, incl. Emma Goldman, who was eventually deported from the US (not the only reason, but one of them) Birth control, abortion access—all a right we with uteruses are entitled to
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GenXJamerican🇯🇲🇺🇸 @genxjamerican.com · 14/05/2026
Good explainer of the destruction of science funding under the billionaire space tourist “administering” NASA. Funding and publishing certain science would prove that the pro-petrochemicals agenda of Trump is destroying the environment—and we can’t have that proof out and about.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
reader.pn.pennlive.com/2026/05/12/i...
reader.pn.pennlive.com
Immigrant to Pa. followed the law, but then a lawyer’s error changed everything
He spent roughly three months in ICE custody at the Moshannon center. It cost him and his wife thousands of dollars and their trust in the U.S. justice system.
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Ted McCormick @tedmccormick.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Historical research does not need to be done faster or in greater volume for any social or intellectual purpose whatever; if anything, it needs to be done more slowly and deliberately than at present, by people allowed the training, time, space, and resources to do it that way.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
DOGE’s Termination of Humanities Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/a...
nytimes.com
DOGE’s Termination of Humanities Grants Is Ruled Unconstitutional
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Zoe Tillman @zoetillman.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
"The Government cannot escape liability for DOGE’s work by scapegoating ChatGPT." A US judge slammed DOGE's use of AI in a decision today blocking the termination of $100M in humanities grants, finding DOGE lacked authority and unlawfully based decisions on race and viewpoint buff.ly/Qw0qcDH
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National Bail Out @nationalbailout.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Thanks to your generous support, we’ve raised $100,406 and bailed out 15 Black mamas and caregivers so far! Drop a coin + share this post to help #FreeBlackMamas 💕
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
How incredible
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
4. The needle moved with young white people in 2020. Those middle and high schoolers of 2020 are now in college, and they are *hungry* for histories of white racial justice activism. My book offers sustenance for them.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
3. I will come to your class and talk to your students about this history! Virtually or in-person where possible.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
2. It’s now cheaper! It’s coming out in paperback NEXT MONTH. So your students can nab it for just $25. Or use this discount code and get it even cheaper (30% off): NYUAU30
screenshot of paperback release date and price
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
1. I wrote an Instructor’s Guide! It has synopses of each chapter, a who’s who in the book (v. helpful for students), and discussion questions for each chapter. The guide is free and available here: supadu-imgix.s3.amazonaws.com/ingram-nyu/p...
supadu-imgix.s3.amazonaws.com
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Deciding on books for next semester’s courses on the 1960s, urban history, or the Black freedom struggle? I’ve got four reasons for you to adopt my book: Organizing Your Own: The White Fight for Black Power in Detroit! nyupress.org/978147981414...
nyupress.org
Organizing Your Own
The fascinating history of white solidarity with the Black Power movementIn the mid-1960s, as the politics of Black self-determination gained steam, Black ac...
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The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · 06/05/2026
Scholars have defined the elements of what qualifies as a concentration camp system. Based on those, ICE detention facilities meet the definition of concentration camps.
theconversation.com
When immigration detention becomes a system of concentration: Lessons from research on 150 historical cases
Scholars have defined the elements of what qualifies as a concentration camp system. Based on those, ICE detention facilities meet the definition of concentration camps.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
If you haven’t read @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social's King of the North yet, you should! Learning about CSK’s years at Antioch was fascinating. I teach at a PWI, like Antioch, and my students of color connected with her history there.
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Ursula @ladyofsardines.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
“Ferociously informal” is the vibe for the rest of May
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Jeanne Theoharis @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
When her father started transporting lumber, a business reserved for whites, whites torched their house. When he refused to sell his business to a white man, they burned the business too. Those experiences & the pride her parents instilled helped shape Coretta Scott for what she encountered later.
A teenage Coretta Scott smiling in a coat.
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Jeanne Theoharis @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Given the evisceration of the VRA, it's useful to listen to Coretta Scott King: “Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it every generation.” She understood nonviolent direct action was "militant" and essential and spent her entire life fighting.
Coretta Scott King and Martin Luther King holding hands marching with others in the Selma to Montgomery March.
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Jeanne Theoharis @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Today would be Coretta Scott King’s 99th birthday. CSK was a lifelong freedom fighter & more of an activist than MLK when they met. As a student she’d supported the Progressive Party’s 3rd party challenge for president opposing US militarism, racism & economic inequality. We need to know her.
A close-up of Coretta Scott King’s face with her eyes closed taken by Black photographer Louise Martin.
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Prison Policy Initiative @prisonpolicy.org · 20/04/2026
This 4/20, we're thinking of the horrific impact that the U.S.'s war on drugs had on vulnerable communities. Today, drug offenses still account for the incarceration of over 360,000 people, and drug convictions remain a defining feature of the federal prison system.
Pie chart showing that 1 in 5 incarcerated people is locked up for a drug offense
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David Palumbo-Liu @palumboliu.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Instead of concentrating on how the war is going and the global economy, we focus on the Iranian people, and look at the impact of these many forms of violence on civil society. Fatemeh and Nilo talk about how covering Iran now is affecting their lives as journalists, and as Iranians.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
This looks crappy! Running injury? Hoping you heal up well and fast 💜
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Immigration and Ethnic History Society @iehs.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Congratulations to all of our 2026 award winners!! #OAH26 A thread - 1/
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Happy 2nd birthday to my book, Organizing Your Own: The White Fight for Black Power in Detroit, which offers a new way of understanding Black Power’s message to white activists. It’s coming out in paperback in June, so a great addition for your fall classes! nyupress.org/978147981414...
nyupress.org
Organizing Your Own
The fascinating history of white solidarity with the Black Power movementIn the mid-1960s, as the politics of Black self-determination gained steam, Black ac...
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Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Happy anniversary to all who celebrate (the greatest celebrity-on-celebrity social media takedown of all time)
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Jeanne Theoharis @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
On the 58th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, it's time to reckon with the media's troubling role in the civil rights struggle. (I pitched this to @nytimes.com who found it "fascinating..[but] the news is making deeper & certainly more historical pieces very hard." But they're the news.) A 🧵
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 01/04/2026
news to the enslaved!
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ElieNYC @elienyc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Amy Coney Barret asks an extremely relevant question. Sauer/Trump's point is that birthright citizenship only counts for parents who have *allegiance* to the US. ACB points out that CAPTURED SLAVES.. had no "allegiance" to the US, and arguably wanted to escape. But their childrens were citizens.
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Mark Joseph Stern @mjsdc.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Both Roberts and Gorsuch sound intensely skeptical of the Trump administration's arguments against birthright citizenship. The three liberals have already opposed Trump's executive order. So if this holds, there's five votes against Trump right there.
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Pookleblinky @pookleblinky.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
Reminder that the reason you're seeing so much weird Chappell Roan news is that just a few weeks ago she fired her Epstein-adjacent agent, Casey Wasserman. Wasserman is still the chairman of the 2028 LA olympics, but has started stepping back from his ad agency.
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The New Republic @newrepublic.com · 29/03/2026
“Until he’s ejected from the White House, all our rights are in danger.” trib.al/KqM2fND
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Dr. Lisa Corrigan @drlisacorrigan.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Gender is socially constructed.
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Tom Nichols @radiofreetom.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
The chance of an incident involving nuclear weapons is more likely now than it was during the Cold War.
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Melissa Gira Grant @melissagiragrant.com · 30/03/2026
police lie, and have no duty to protect you
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Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
#NoKings, but lots of badass public scholars in my 269th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please share as widely as possible, & enjoy! 🗃️ + blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...
blackwhiteandread.com
#ScholarSunday Thread 269 (3/29/26) – Black and White and Read All Over
#NoKings, but lots of badass public scholars in my 269th #ScholarSunday thread of public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, please ...
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The Organization of American Historians @oah.org · 27/03/2026
The OAH has filed FOIA requests to determine the extent and legality of the White House’s influence on the presentation of U.S. history in national parks and the Smithsonian. ow.ly/UJM350YzNzl
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
So thankful to this activist-writer for sharing her experiences: "If movements are to demand sacrifice, they must also demand self-reflection and accountability. That is what this moment requires of us… And we must never again allow any man...to escape accountability for sexual abuse."
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
“ 'The verdict is that a normal noise demo deserves to be called terrorism and people should spend potentially the rest of their lives in prison. The implications of this are obvious, and people should know that the DOJ is going to try this again.’ ” theintercept.com/2026/03/17/i...
theintercept.com
Why We Have to Fight Back Against ICE Protesters’ Terror Convictions
For years, Trump has been throwing hefty charges at protesters and seeing if he can win convcitions. He always failed — until now.
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Say Burgin @sayburgin.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
I want to give mega thanks to @cliocontemporary.bsky.social for publishing this, especially the wonderful editing! And huge thanks to @sncclegacy.bsky.social, the @zinnedproject.bsky.social and the State Library & Archives of Florida for digitizing important primary source material.
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