Just returned from a Stumbling Stones ceremony for 8 individuals enslaved in Arlington VA (modeled on the European Stolpersteine project)—over 100 stones are now embedded throughout the county (local historians document ca. 4000 enslaved persons in this county alone).

Sak Pase, New York City!

I’m proud to once again join both Michaël Brun and Council Member Rita Joseph in wishing all the Haitians who call this city home a joyful Haitian Heritage Month.

And to Haiti’s national team: best of luck in the World Cup. Grenadye Alaso!

Yes!

Do not let the White House convince you that they are dictating what happens for the 250th. They're doing a bunch of stuff, but it's all fleeting spectacle. There is genuine, thoughtful, history-focused programming happening all over the United States. Get offline and go find it.

How many American newspapers gave the passing of Sonny Rollins so much space?

Though it has gotten less attention than some other underdog teams, Jordan will be playing in the World Cup for the first time in its history this summer. Read about the team's history and trajectory here: soccerpolitics.org/tournament-g...

This moment of extreme gerrymandering and diminishing voting rights has made it all the more urgent to press for big reforms in our democracy. Not only is this necessary; I'm increasingly convinced that it's achievable. democracyjournal.org/arguments/th...

Now we’re talking ! Cursed World Cup but at least we can get our eat on

For the afternoon crowd.

Really looking forward to participating in this event sponsored by @africasacountry.bsky.social on the eve of the #WorldCup www.eventbrite.com/e/africa-is-...

We worked really hard to produce and get this report to you. Hoping that our report reaches as many people as the other Yale report from a few weeks ago. This one was faculty grass roots, and paints a slightly different picture. (No shade on my colleagues working on the commissioned one. Honest).

In summary

If you're going to have your own Sonny Rollins memorial marathon tonight, here's a good place to start. bsky.app/profile/thes...

In 2026, the 250th anniversary of the American experiment in a self-governing democracy— created in revolution from monarchy and state-sponsored religion— sensitive thoughtful statements about democracy and humanity’s future from a king and a pope. Phew.

🇻🇦 ✨ Pope Leo XIV called on Monday for the "disarming" of artificial intelligence in his long-awaited manifesto on the rapidly developing technology, and warned of "new forms of slavery" behind its rise ➡️ u.afp.com/SDkC

Ya'll. I am shook. In a good way. Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for Holy See's own role in legitimizing Slavery

En su libro más reciente, la historiadora Ada Ferrer escarba entre montañas de diarios, cartas y documentos dejados por sus padres con el mismo rigor que aplica a los archivos nacionales de Cuba.

We had such a wonderful Who Owns Black Data 3 in New Orleans. So many pictures & memories, but I'll share here just one of us organizers—Sasha, Nadejda, Jessica and yt—looking like we're on a sitcom from the 1990s. I love this crew so much. Next year in Puerto Rico! 🇵🇷

“We are always looking for place, trying to find our place,” he said. “I want people to lay their stories on top of the map.” In that sense, he added, “it can be what you want it to be. The painting becomes yours"." www.nytimes.com/2026/05/20/a...

The history of the West shows that many of its greatest leaders, from the Greeks and the Romans forward, lost humiliating wars to Persia. by Niall Ferguson

The inaugural Encyclical of his pontificate, tomorrow Pope Leo presents Magnifica Humanitis, on safeguarding the human person in a time of artificial intelligence. Clocking in at 180 pages, Leo to give address upon text’s release. Live-feed begins at 5:30am ET here: www.youtube.com/live/EEM7a3m...

Nelson does not neglect history, and the essay makes me want to expand on what historians can bring to the analysis of AI, and what we can learn from social scientists in other fields.

Three things said about AI and social science: it's a topic to study, a thing to critique, a tool to use. My new Daedalus essay argues these aren't three conversations; they're one. A 🧵 on "Field Theory: AI as Social Science Question, Object, and Tool." www.amacad.org/publication/...

NACLA has just published a powerful series of essays on "Haiti's Path to Liberation" nacla.org/haitis-path-...

Wrapping up a keynote I'm giving later today for a grad student forum and am enthusing --swooning even-- about historiography. Nothing will provoke my professional energies and pride more than the work we do to make new knowledge.

and vice versa

Way to go Philly friends!!! Future US Congress Representative Rabb is a direct descendant of a Colored Conventions delegate named Amos Freeman. He's also great student of history, and even spoke at the unveiling of our mural in Philly a few years back! www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ylE...

When @herberthistory.bsky.social agreed to do SUFFS I put out the call & suffrage historians of Bsky assembled Join me Sunday w/ @kmarino1.bsky.social @lmacthompson1.bsky.social @wendylrouse.bsky.social @laurarprieto.bsky.social @rebeccadewolfphdbs.bsky.social @foodandarchives.bsky.social #HATM 🗃️

"As all rivers are lost in the sea, which shows no sign of their presence, so will all peoples be lost in the widening confines of our Republic, with an ocean-bound continent for its unparalleled expanse & one harmonious citizenship, where all are equal in rights, for its gentle and impartial sway."

reading some charles sumner and happened upon this banger from an 1869 address (cont.)

Kylian Mbappé, the French soccer superstar, has never made a secret of his distaste for the far right. His latest warnings about its rise in France, a month before the World Cup, have thrust him back into the treacherous scrum of sports and politics.

Thousands are marching in Selma calling for a full restoration of the voting rights act.

Went to Guadalajara at the end of March and wrote for Vanity Fair about history, colonialism, football, faith, one my doppelgängers, and three teams' quest to qualify for the World Cup. www.vanityfair.com/culture/stor...

Ahead of the 2026 FIFA men's World Cup kicking off in less than a month, I spoke with fans from Bosnia and Herzegovina about what it means for their country to be on the biggest stage of football. Their voices will make you think about sport and identity differently. www.cbc.ca/sports/socce...

fantastic image from an article in Le Monde on Macron’s Africa policy — photojournalism that looks like a still from Fellini or Antonio

Oh absolutely. #Footnotes

Proud of my students for their research, which for the first time located the descendants of those enslaved by Columbia University's founders. www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2026/05...

It's a good day to order an amazing Haitian novel about the unending spiral of history www.dukeupress.edu/quiet-dawn

Great thread

5. While "ethnic" national teams remain dominant, other teams are becoming more common - as a consequence of increased immigration (because of decolonization and globalization). The 2026 World Cup will see a much higher number of "diaspora" national teams (e.g. 🇨🇻 🇨🇼 🇭🇹 🇲🇦 🇸🇳).

🚨 PUBLICATION ALERT 🚨 So excited to have this short piece on national teams in FIFA World Cups out, co-authored with my grad student Nicolas Roulier. The article is Open Access! 👈 Here are some of the highlights 🧵

now thats an anecdote with a punch, from Gillian Tett www.ft.com/content/c0ae...

I’m so glad @soccerpolitics is still teaching this excellent course. A lot of timely analysis here ahead of this year’s World Cup.

Canvas, the Strait of Hormuz for American education

The AHA at work! Thankful for @historians.org leadership and collab with ACLS and MLA in this critical case.

Care for some football/soccer music? Check out my playlist "Chantons le Football." Always looking for new recommendations too! open.spotify.com/playlist/2Dv...

Oop -