Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as NYC's first Muslim mayor on a Qur'an from the personal collection of the great Afro-Boricua intellectual Arturo Schomburg—as well as Qur'ans owned by Mamdani's grandparents. www.nypl.org/press/schomb...

The African American Museum in Dallas will open a new exhibition, “Sunday Call to Church,” celebrating the work of self-taught Louisiana painter Clementine Hunter, who depicted worship, work, and community on a former plantation in her work. www.keranews.org/arts-culture...

oh hey! an opportunity to help a member of the library community start 2026 with less medical debt. let's go.

Snowy Vermont.

Looking for great books or an excellent podcast series? Here is our *annual list of winter reading and listening recommendations.* Featuring excellent work by @thislynne.bsky.social, @katherinestewart.bsky.social, @angeladenker.bsky.social, @judithweisenfeld.com, @adriennekrone.bsky.social, & more!

And now someone has uploaded a version that wasn't filmed off a TV. There's also the torrent link there, which is probably the fastest way to download the 60 Minutes segment on CECOT if you want to save the file locally to your computer.

While it’s certainly dark times, I found lots of joy from brilliant scholars last year. So to celebrate & promote them, I’m counting down my “Ten Favorite Books in US History from 2025.” Caveats: I’m not claiming these as “best,” as I’m just one biased voice. Plus, I haven’t read everything. /1

As always, I'm grateful to @americanstudier.bsky.social for his work on the #ScholarSunday threads.

Are there any US lawmakers fighting to protect the rights of Black/African immigrants that I/we can support? Because oof- what a dismal way to end the year/start 2026 and I've heard not a peep from any of our representatives: abcnews.go.com/Internationa... #Blacksky

Huh. Stefanik is dropping out of the governor's race *and* not seeking re-election in congress. Next year is going to be really interesting... www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...

Dr. Judith Weisenfeld joins @brittanyepage.bsky.social to discuss the implications and research behind her book, "Black Religion in the Madhouse." Weisenfeld's work is the first to expose how white psychiatrists pathologized African American religions in the wake of slavery's end.

omg please donate to Trudy if you can. She's a wonderful human being. I'm in for 100. Can anyone match me? Please help her.

When are we going to start renaming states? North Trumpkota! Trumpassee! Montrumpa! Trumpassippi!

Every email an ask as I crawl to winter break.

The Epstein file is the only thing Trump has ever taken his name off of

I wrote about the entanglement of religion and racism in the film at the 100th anniversary.

The WNBA player's association has announced that members voted to authorize the executive committee to call a strike as a response to the current state of CBA negotiations with the league. 98% of the players voted in favour of a strike if necessary.

The White House says the Kennedy Center board vote was “unanimous”… BULLSHIT. @repbeatty.bsky.social, a Congressional member of the board, was on the call. They muted her and didn't let her voice opposition. This is beyond absurd, totally illegal, and a disgrace to the memory and legacy of JFK.

I'm honored that *Black Religion in the Madhouse* is among the @nyupress.bsky.social books on the 2025 @choicereviews.bsky.social CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles.

In a reading slump? Earlierm @therevealer.bsky.social shared their winter reading and podcast recommendations, with both "Black Religion in the Madhouse" and "Black Panther Woman" listed as featured picks! buff.ly/EJMzUAX

Thrilled about this new grant we are offering for under-represented early career scholars. The first cycle is for scholars in history and area studies. Please spread the word widely. @universitypress.cambridge.org ********************************* Read more here: 🔗 cup.org/4pF5xvr

Pope Leo replaced Cardinal Timothy Dolan as the leader of the Catholic Church in New York, the Vatican announced on Thursday, sidelining a prominent U.S. Church figure in a major shake-up of the country's Catholic leadership. For @reuters.com

THIS COULD’VE BEEN A TWEET

I thought the State of the Union address was for this kind of stuff? Why now?

Here comes the open racism against Somali Americans.

Gas prices incredibly low (despite facts): gasprices.aaa.com/state-gas-pr...

Seems like the same idea as:

600% lower drug prices. There has never been anything like it in the history of our country. Trumprx.gov. 🤢

We're the hottest country anywhere in the world.

How big is that?

At levels never seen before.

Sinister, woke radicals.

And there has never been anything like it.

Short version of the Trump speech: It is not my fault.

Grinnell College’s Department African Diaspora Studies invites applications for a two-year Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship beginning Fall 2026. apply.interfolio.com/179263

“They are holding hostage the bodies of our relatives—bodies that have no meaning to them and do not represent anything to their culture, whatsoever. It’s just plain wrong,” said plaintiff Arlene Covington.

$1.6 million for unethical experimentation on African infants.

My new book is now available for pre-order from UNC Press @uncpress.bsky.social! Use code 01SOCIAL30 at checkout to save 30%. uncpress.org/978146969362...

VAP Trinity University Department of Religion specializing in Islam. Deadline February 1, 2026.

“He said, ‘I’m going to die – please see my family [and tell them] that I went down to save people’s lives.'" --Jozay Alkanj, who was having coffee with Ahmed when the shooting erupted. www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

@xroadproj.bsky.social Community Stories Fellow Shantel George's book, The Yoruba Are on a Rock: Recaptured Africans and the Orisas of Grenada, is on #Slaveryarchive's list of the 10 best books of 2025.

The Center for Religion and Cities Presents: Faith and Justice in the City: The Black Religion Summit an online event Feb 5, 2026 from 5pm to 7pm EST Featuring @xroadproj.bsky.social Community Stories Fellow Dr. Kameelah Mu’Min Oseguera. Registration information in the link.

Two fellowships for research in special collections at Haverford College: The Gest Fellowship ($3000) for research on Quakerism and the Thomas Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation Fellowship ($5000) on mental health and the history of mental health care. Deadline: February 16, 2026.

Applications for the postdoc at the @ctrrelpol-washu.bsky.social are due by January 5, 2026.

Just terrible. The heroism of the bystander, Ahmed al Ahmed, to disarm one of the killers is remarkable.

I appreciated the great conversation with @brittanyepage.bsky.social about my book and broader questions about race, religion, and mental health.

I'm grateful for this thoughtful and generous review of *Black Religion in the Madhouse* in *Science News.*

Short-Term Research Fellowships at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20134911/short-term-research-fellowships-haverford-college-quaker-special #acrel #aarsbl #sblaar

BREAKING: Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been released from immigration detention after a federal judge's order Thursday, his attorney's office says.

UGH. There’s this space I really want for this community event but we need $1200 to cover it. Help! Thurmanperryfoundation.org