I'm so excited for NYC people and fans; I'm already exhausted over the NYC media. The duality of the Knicks win.

Just wrapped up a conference on religious freedom that kicked off w my disc w @benjaminepark.bsky.social —my q for him was when was LDS in favor of separation and church and when not? Here we are.

I’m really excited to (virtually) speak at this conference in two hours. And you can (virtually) attend! The zoom link is at the conference website.

Imagining that you could easily replace an immigrant laborer is a pretty good, if still nauseating metaphor for today’s GOP politics. Also, this nonsense is the only thing that can loosen my support for the spurs.

Pleasure writing with @benjaminepark.bsky.social about Latter-day Saint approaches to religious freedom and American patriotism in light of the upcoming LDS Church fast for religious freedom on July 5th. Check out the piece here:

The Latter-day Saints have a long and complicated history of American patriotism and religious liberty. @nbshrum34.bsky.social and I wrote about it for @theconversation.com. theconversation.com/for-2-centur...

My latest newsletter, with book news, MHA announcements, upcoming events, and links to all my recent videos. benjaminpark.kit.com/posts/5-31-2....

I’m both excited at the prospect of Talarico turning the seat blue, but also deeply terrified at the real possibility of having Paxton as my senator.

Curious how the LDS Church's 2015 policy barring children of same-sex unions from salvific ordinances fit into a longer history of ecclesiastical exclusion? I got you covered!

Douglass’s faith was not naive. It was hard-won by a man who had been property, who had taught himself to read in secret, who had escaped bondage and then spent his life arguing that the promise of the Declaration of Independence was worth fighting to redeem. kevinmlevin.substack.com/p/what-frede...

I really loved @wmstell.bsky.social’s new @princetonupress.bsky.social book on the forgotten gay-affirming voices within the evangelical movement, and am glad he agreed to talk about it with me on my YouTube channel. youtu.be/X_Nv4-FwYrw?...

Hear me out: ->Trump endorses Paxon ->Spurs win championship ->Wemby endorses Talarico ->Texas gets a Democratic senator

Even if it’s expected, it’s still insane.

It is publication day for my book, White Power: Policing American Slavery. Here’s the unboxing, with a trip down memory lane. Thanks so much to those who helped make this a reality, esp. my amazing agent Dani Segelbaum, @dgershenowitz.bsky.social @uncpress.bsky.social @sonyabonczek.bsky.social

Nobody is allowed to bother me during the rest of the Spurs/Thunder series. I am LOCKED IN.

This Spurs/Thunders series is gonna be amazing. Basketball is good.

Besides punishing those who…checks notes…tried to overturn a lawful and democratic election, the prosecution of January 6 insurrectionists *also* succeeded at removing some of the nation’s worst fascists from the streets. Trump’s pardons were not just an injustice, but a threat to national safety.

On Thursday, June 4, we will host the keynote, “Histories of Religious Freedom: A Conversation with Benjamin Park, President of the Mormon History Association” as part of the Conference on Religions and Freedom c. 1776. Reception and exhibit viewing to follow. Register at forms.gle/664GCmXqdf69...

Gee, someone should write a book on this…

I was at the Apple Store today getting something fixed, and the poor woman ahead of me had to explain to the technician how she got her new phone a month ago but has never been able to open it because she forgot what code she used when she first set it up. So just remember, things can be worse.

Oh hey, some news. @wwnorton.com pitched to me the idea of writing a general (& brief!) survey of the White Christian nationalist movement from the New Deal until today, surveying the key figures and text that comprise the movement's canon. After finding what I think is a unique angle, I agreed.

Twelve years after finishing my PhD, and I still have those damn dreams of forgetting a major homework assignment for German class.

Brigham Young should have just made the argument that American men were "undermarried."

In honor of e-publication week, Chris and I have launched a Substack. Follow for more than you ever wanted to know about the ivory sporks, wildly inaccurate maps, and emetic recipes that didn't make it into the book. #earlymodern #frenchhistory #skystorians open.substack.com/pub/frenchat...

In case you're curious how the Texas republican primary for senate is going.

Today might be one of the very few days when I'm grateful to be at an institution that uses blackboard.

!!!!!!

For anyone randomly interested: my latest newsletter is out, with links to all my recent videos, essays, and news. It's been an active few weeks at my YouTube channel, where I covered the new Mormon fundamentalist documentary, among other topics. benjaminpark.kit.com/posts/5-3-26

It’s bullshit that I didn’t win a Pulitzer this year on the measly account that I didn’t publish a book in 2025.

Look what's here! Just in time to order for your fall classes! It's the affordable paperback version of *Plantation Goods* from @uchicagopress.bsky.social

The court has simply recreated the pre-Brown world in allowing racial discrimination across a broad number fields as long as it is “facially neutral,” gutting the Reconstruction Amendments in the process.

Powerful words from Kagan in #SCOTUS voting rights case: The VRA "ushered in awe-inspiring change, bringing this Nation closer to fulfilling the ideals of democracy and racial equality. And it has been repeatedly, and overwhelmingly, reauthorized by the people’s representatives in Congress."

Unelected jurists over time have destroyed a tremendous act of popular sovereignty and engine of pluralistic democracy, turning it into little more than a historic relic.

Join me, @lizcovart.bsky.social, @noraslonimsky.bsky.social on our walking tour of Lewes, England with Leanne O'Boyle as we explore the town where Thomas Paine launched his writing career. #CommonSense250 #America250 #WalkingTour @bfworld.bsky.social @theitps.bsky.social youtu.be/r0JU9xlrn3Q?...

I felt really bad walking in on this when I opened my front door this morning. But in my defense, they didn’t leave a sock on my doorknob.

Last night I dreamt that I was giving a lecture at @mhs1791.bsky.social, a life goal. While being introduced, I realized I hadn’t printed out my text, so I opened my laptop and searched for it, with no luck. It only then dawned on me that I had never written the paper. Worst nightmare.

My English degree is one of the best decisions of my life.

It was SUCH fun to talk with fellow historian & writing group friend @benjaminepark.bsky.social about THE WESTERNERS and one of its protagonists, Ovando Hollister: a Shaker turned gold miner, CIvil War soldier, newspaper editor, & anti-Mormon agitator. Check it out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nSu...

Remember when Trump said he would endorse one of the Texas senate candidates so they could save money and avoid the bruising runoff campaign? That was six weeks ago, we’re now only four weeks from the runoff day, and my media is still flooded with competing campaign ads.

There was a “Thank You” bag with goodies from my university hung on my office doorknob this morning, and I have no idea what it’s for. I’m really hoping it’s not a farewell gift.

If you haven’t checked out @mkn.bsky.social’s new book on “The Westerners,” you really should. It features compelling characters, riveting stories, and sobering lessons. youtu.be/8nSuZXWTVGA

In case you've watched Netflix's new and popular documentary on Mormon fundamentalists, or are just interested in the topic, I did a deep dive on the history, context, and ethics of the story. It includes an interview with Cristina Gagliano, one of the best FLDS experts. youtu.be/0_IupTSRTKM?...

"losing the decades-old tax breaks could hinder its ability to maintain its headquarters in Richmond and carry out its operations." ah well, isn't that kind of the tradition? www.nytimes.com/2026/04/14/u...

Okay but what if instead of seeing the doctor so often this last year Trump has actually been having visions of Jesus and didn’t realize it?

Cristina M. Gagliano & @jstuart.bsky.social introduce Mormon Studies Review Vol. 13 as new editors after co-editing Vol. 12 with Quincy D. Newell & @benjaminepark.bsky.social. Vol. 13 Intro: scholarlypublishingcollective.org/uip/msr/arti... New editors blog www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/ne...

The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced that claiming the Pope is “WEAK on crime” is simultaneously the funniest but also most revealing statement for assessing religion in the MAGA movement. It’s modern Christian nationalism in one sentence.

I received one of my favorite compliments from a student today. When complaining about the reading load in the course, he said, “if it were any other professor, I would have dropped this class by now!”

The incredible team at @inquirer.com continues to be all over this story. The revised approach the administration proposes here is very typical in recent years, qualifying statements about Washington’s enslaving by pointing to his statements in opposition to it. (Gift link) share.inquirer.com/tkvteN

Best. Unboxing. Ever. “Hey, a book,” he says. #ThePublicScholar from @hopkinspress.bsky.social coming this month. Order yours today! www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...