The Governor of Colorado recently named me alongside several other historians, educators, and community members to the Black Historical and Cultural Studies Advisory Committee.
Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders
@ashleighwrites.bsky.social
Historian, currently researching Black memory. Assistant Professor at University of Colorado Boulder. Lowcountry SC born and raised.
What is happening to the National Park Service, Smithsonian and other important institutions is important, but the important work of documenting and commemorating African American history continues. www.wvtf.org/news/2026-01...
Statue honoring Black Union soldiers unveiled in Rocky Mount
Franklin County residents and the local branch NAACP unveiled a monument Sunday to 70 Black men from the county who fought for the United States Colored Troops. Organizers say the monument helps tell ...
wvtf.org
🗃️ My History Department is hiring for a tenure track position in Native American history. See link for details! jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDeta...
Assistant or Associate Professor of History
jobs.colorado.edu
The dream of every Muslim is simply to be treated the same as any other New Yorker. And yet, for too long, we have been told to ask for less than that, and endure hatred and bigotry in the shadows. No more.
My Message to Muslim New Yorkers — and Everyone Who Calls This City Home.
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
youtube.com
When there is no real “Willie Horton” to use so you just have AI create your own updated version of that racist ad….
Prem Thakker ツ@premthakker.bsky.social · 11mo agoAndrew Cuomo’s campaign just posted — and quickly deleted — this AI-generated ad depicting “criminals for Zohran Mamdani.” Features a Black man in a keffiyeh shoplifting, an abuser, a trespasser, a trafficker, a drug dealer, and a drunk driver all declaring support for Mamdani.
The assumption that generative AI could be a "valuable partner" is unevidenced and the example activity is critical thinking work that could better be done in the absence of AI. It's thinking of something you COULD do with AI. Rather than what students SHOULD do to learn.
🗃️ Submission to “Student AI use is inevitable so let’s lean into it” BY HISTORIANS is confounding. Thought we all knew about contingency: nothing is inevitable, the past, present, or future. AI is not a foregone conclusion. As present day historical actors, we can make choices, incl not using AI.
🗃️ Some really great research by @chasewoodruff.bsky.social, especially in consulting with @romeoguzman.bsky.social to contextualize Evans’ narrative. 10/10 no notes, only to say most salient point is that legality is not fixed, rather, it reflects politics & social values of historical moment.
Chase Woodruff@chasewoodruff.bsky.social · last yr.Colorado Republican Rep. Gabe Evans has centered his pro-Trump political identity — and his support for mass deportation — on the story of his Mexican-American grandfather, who he has repeatedly said immigrated “the legal way.” Documents show that isn’t true.
🗃️None of this is surprising, but of course when my congressman Gabe Evans learned the truth he just ignored it rather than address his own hypocrisy. Also a lot for historians to chew on about leveraging of identity and the “right” immigration history/narrative.
Chase Woodruff@chasewoodruff.bsky.social · last yr.Colorado Republican Rep. Gabe Evans has centered his pro-Trump political identity — and his support for mass deportation — on the story of his Mexican-American grandfather, who he has repeatedly said immigrated “the legal way.” Documents show that isn’t true.
A lot of Cuomo’s embarassing missteps here make more sense when you realize he’s never had to actually run in a competitive campaign ever. The party establishment lined up behind him to push him as nominee for AG in 2006. In 2010 he ran in a ridiculous unopposed Democratic primary for Governor.
Corey Atad@coreyatad.com · last yr.Cuomo announces his general election run by proving the Mamdani sauce ain't so easy to cook up on the spot with half the ingredients
🗃️This is a very good critical thread about AFT’s embrace of AI and Weingarten’s empty defense. These critiques also apply to higher ed as well!
Sonja Drimmer@sonjadrimmer.bsky.social · last yr.This is a laundry list of rhetorical strategies to defend the adoption of a given technology for the purposes of advancing an ideology & economic regime: inevitability, unquestioning praise of “innovation,” buy-in from concerned stakeholders, assurances that partnership is not capitulation. 1/n
Some words (by me) for Juneteenth that are 4 years old but still ring true. Check out the full article at slate.com/news-and-pol...
🗃️ I read the article and agree with @kawulf.bsky.social. I would add a few points in support: This article is premised on a basic misunderstanding of the historical research process. It’s important to note that, as far as I can tell, the author of the article is not a professional historian, i.e.
Karin Wulf@kawulf.bsky.social · last yr.This piece is worth reading/ wrestling with. imho. 1. AI can't do original research and thinking; it recombines (often badly) so may be most potent for digestible popular history. That's worth worrying about separately. 1/ www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/m...
Historian to historian: 1) Clarification: Is the “foreign flag” in OP in reference to the Mexican flag? 2) Image you posted of UFW march doesn’t capture well that there’s also a Mexican flag in front of UFW flag (which includes Aztec eagle). Below is image that shows this. 3) Lastly,
🗃️Perhaps a reminder is needed that historians write about events (like protest) after the fact, and perhaps we should leave advising to those who have more experience and buy-in while events are on-going.
Just having Another normal one here in CO 🙃
Kyle Clark@kylec.bsky.social · last yr.Leading Colorado Republicans are blaming Democrats for the antisemitic terror attack in Boulder. Aurora City Councilwoman Danielle Jurinksy says Gov Jared Polis and other state leaders are not really Jewish and belong to a “demonic cult.” #copolitics
I am glad to be able to be in conversation about the book and lessons for today at Busboys and Poets later this month. The book discusses many individuals and communities who chose remembrance as their politics in a landscape defined by lies, myths, and intentional forgetting. Come out if you can!
RU Always ♥️🖤
Rutgers History Department@ruhistorydept.bsky.social · last yr.Dr. Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders, Assistant Professor of History at the University of Colorado-Boulder and Rutgers History Ph.D., delivers the keynote address at the 47th annual Warren Susman Graduate Conference at Rutgers. #Rutgers.
All are welcome at the Rutgers History Department's 47th annual Warren Susman Graduate Conference. Note that Dr. Ashleigh Lawrence-Sanders (RU PhD) will deliver the keynote address. #Rutgers
My book Freedom Enterprise can be pre-ordered for 40% off using the code PENN-BHM2025 during the month of February. www.pennpress.org/978151282742... The book tells the story of southern migrants who built a thriving Black-owned business community in Detroit during the Great Migration.
Born #tdih 1868: William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois, one of most important scholars of 20th century. Sociologist, historian, Pan-Africanist, author, editor; co-founder of NAACP, leader of Niagara Movement, & editor of NAACP’s The Crisis Magazine. 🧵 www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/we...
Feb. 23, 1868: W. E. B. Du Bois Born
W. E. B. Du Bois, sociologist, historian, Pan-Africanist, author, and editor, was one of the most important scholars of the 20th century.
zinnedproject.org
#They can’t take away what they didn’t give. asalh.org/about-us/abo...
ASALH - The Founders of Black History Month | About Black History Month
Learn about Black history by exploring your local community, reading books by Black authors, and visiting Black or African-American history museums.Explore a
asalh.org
I’m an NSF panel reviewer that was scheduled to meet today. Just got notice that all NSF panels were canceled today. I reviewed some innovative proposals in support of students. Devastating if these scholars don’t get to do this work. For the love of science & students I hope this is just a delay.💔
Stunning cowardice by the AHA Council. For shame. "The Council considers the Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza ... to contravene the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws because it lies outside the scope of the Association’s mission and purpose." 🗃️ www.historians.org/news/busines...
Business Meeting Resolution Update - AHA
Update as of January 17, 2025: The AHA Council deplores any intentional destruction of Palestinian educational institutions, libraries, universities, and archives in Gaza. The Council considers the “R...
historians.org
Thinking still this morning of the SCV member who decided to attend our AHA panel and specifically question me (the only Black member of the panel): “if you believe in desegregation so much, why do these Black colleges exist??” (A paraphrase, but it was that cartoonishly racist, yes) 🗃️
Not much of a CFP fan these days, but all the talk about our university’s second Heisman winner sent me looking for writing about the first. A tragic reminder about how these awards can shape lives and legacies: frontporchsports.substack.com/p/the-rise-a...
The rise and tragic fall of Rashaan Salaam, Colorado’s first Heisman Trophy winner
Travis Hunter is likely to become the Buffs' second Heisman winner Saturday night. The story of Colorado's first recipient should never be forgotten
frontporchsports.substack.com