Will Jones
@willpjones.bsky.social
Historian of race and class; Author: The March on Washington & The Tribe of Black Ulysses; Professor, University of Minnesota; President, @umn-tc-aaup.bsky.social; Editor, "Up For Debate" @laborlawchajournal.bsky.social ORCHID: 0000-0001-9295-866X
Anyone who wants to be governor of Wisconsin should know that the only correct answer to this question is "I stand with Wisconsin voters who know that the most sacred holiday in late November is the gun deer opening."
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · yesterdayFrancesca Hong was asked last night by Kaitlin Collins if she still believes Thanksgiving should be canceled. Her answer was not 'no.'
Chaco is one of the most sacred cultural landscapes in the NPS system. 4,200 archaeological and cultural sites in the park are at risk if Public Land Order 7923 is rolled back to allow oil and gas development. Submit a comment to urge decision-makers to keep PLO 7923 intact at tinyurl.com/2ut4et77.
"In their statement, the AAUP said the changes undermine the University’s original commitment to its workforce and could eliminate the pay increase for employees seen from the 3% merit pool passed in the 2026-27 budget. The statement also urged the University to roll back the changes." @aaup.org
UMN cuts down on employee health benefits, leaving faculty and staff uneasy
On July 22, the University of Minnesota announced changes to the employee health benefits plan. Employees expressed a staunch negative response. The University released the changes in a staff email, ...
mndaily.com
“Davis, and other defendants interviewed by the Guardian, are confident that the case against them will collapse. But the government is trying to send a signal, he said: “This isn’t just about us. It’s about trying to scare everybody who opposes ICE.””
The professor facing prison in ‘antifa’ case: ‘They want to scare all who oppose ICE’
Erik Davis is accused by the government of a ‘conspiracy’ to obstruct ICE – experts say it’s part of a pattern to criminalize lawful organizing and ruin activists’ lives
theguardian.com
“University presidents and regents are temporary stewards of a permanent public institution. They should not use its identity as leverage in a dispute with a business partner, especially when the people most affected had no role in that dispute.”
Opinion | The University of Minnesota name should not be removed from these hospitals
On Jan. 1, the University of Minnesota Medical Center name is scheduled to disappear as part of a new agreement with Fairview Health Services, Dr. Demetris Yannopoulos writes.
startribune.com
“Essentially someone is proposing planting signs all around their place of employment saying that they're not good at their job," Manning said. "And that is a demoralizing thing for anybody to experience.””
Lee West@whodat35.bsky.social · last wk.Teachers show support of Smithsonian after Trump executive order The president's executive order demanded signs outside the Museum of American History that correct what he called "inaccurate information," without giving specifics. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/t...
Time to revisit @aaup.org's 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure: Tenure benefits universities because it frees teaching and research of political interference and makes "the profession attractive to men and women of ability." It's a recruiting tool not a privilege.
1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure with 1970 Interpretive Comments
AAUP 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure
aaup.org
Texas Conference of the AAUP@texasaaup.bsky.social · 2w agoUT Austin doubles down on denial of tenure to leading borderlands tech scholar: “In an emailed statement to Inside Higher Ed, a UT spokesperson said, ‘Tenure is privilege, not a right.’” www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
Gray Mallard Theater‘s production of Hamlet is great, and it’s free for one more week at Sociable Cider Werks in Minneapolis. Check it out!
The Gray Mallard Theater Co.
The Gray Mallard Theater Company and Shakespeare at the Pub. Professional and accessible theater for the Twin Cities. Free to all.
thegraymallardtheater.org
“the Pentagon had used more than 1,200 Patriot interceptor missiles in the war, at more than $4 million apiece, leaving inventories worrisomely low,…”
Trump Holds Off on Major War Escalation Against Iran as Advisers Raise Concerns (Gift Article)
Among the worries is that expanded hostilities could dangerously drain the diminished stockpile of air defense munitions in the Middle East.
nytimes.com
If you bike, or want to & have barriers to it, MnDoT is doing a survey in the work to update the Statewide Bicycle Plan. You should take it. Survey ends July 24! talk.dot.state.mn.us/statewide-bi...
Statewide Bicycle+ System Plan
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talk.dot.state.mn.us
@angeladavismpr.bsky.social This was an insightful discussion but, as with too many discussions of higher ed, guests represented the two most exclusive private schools in the state and no one mentioned declining state and federal funding (which impacts private schools as well as public).
The college enrollment cliff is here: Now what?
Colleges are preparing for what's known as the enrollment cliff — a coming drop in student enrollment. Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, MPR News guest host Kerri Miller and her guests talk about what's ...
mprnews.org
“Conspiracy charges are a very convenient way for the government to criminalize otherwise lawful First Amendment conduct. It’s not the first time they’ve tried it. It’s not going to be the last.”
Antifa or organizers? Minnesota prosecution tests Trump’s legal crackdown on the left
The so-called Minnesota 15 defendants are teachers, union organizers and transgender rights activists who pushed back against Operation Metro Surge. The Justice Department wants to try them as terrori...
startribune.com
For example: www.cato.org/commentary/t...
Trump’s Order to Resume ICE Traffic Stops Means More Danger for the Public
Even his own immigration czar admits that permanently ending the stops would better protect ICE agents, their targets and the public.
cato.org
EmKay K-A@mkettleson.bsky.social · 3w agoIt’s a libertarian think-tank. They have invested tons into publicizing that immigrants are a help to our economy & that this admin’s talking points about immigration are false. So I am a lefty & don’t follow them, but I am not blocking accts who are misguided in their ideology but mind themselves.
I wouldn't expect Douthat to interview a socialist, let alone that he would do it fairly and thoughtfully. But he did and it is worth a listen. Bhaskar Sunkara does a great job responding. Gift link @nytimes.com @sunraysunray.bsky.social
Opinion | A Vision of a ‘Society Without Capitalism’ (Gift Article)
Can democratic socialism redeem the left without destroying capitalism?
nytimes.com
Today, the AAUP & Texas AAUP sued Texas Tech Chancellor Brandon Creighton over directives he gave that mandated the censorship & thought policing of thousands of faculty & students leading to the suppression of academic freedom & the pursuit of knowledge. More Here: www.aaup.org/news/aaup-te... 🧵
We (faculty at USC) took on an institutional behemoth with all the money and clout on earth, and we WON. We won our union. We're the biggest private-university faculty union in US history. Trying to make people care about this, challenge level IMPOSSIBLE
👇🎯 Once again, this is an existential crisis for American universities, & our presidents & chancellors are completely absent from the public square in speaking out against it & informing voters & students & parents of the magnitude of the threat. A total leadership failure. bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Matthew Kirschenbaum@mkirschenbaum.bsky.social · 3w agoAs with so many things, it is critical to realize this is not bumbling or ineptitude or not thinking through policy implications. On the contrary: making it impossible for foreign students to do the doctorate here is THE WHOLE POINT. It’s about starving higher ed under the guise of America first.
This is like the Egyptian government fast-tracking drilling in Giza.
Arlyssa D. Becenti ✍️🗞️@abecenti.bsky.social · 3w agoFrom me: ‘BLM fast-tracks proposal to open Chaco Canyon to oil and gas drilling’
And they only covered 8 states, not including MN: "These lesser-known stories show that the horrific abuses our nation witnessed in Minneapolis were not an aberration — in fact, they are the tip of the iceberg." @aclu.org
Eric Umansky@ericumansky.bsky.social · 3w agoThe ACLU has just detailed hundreds of cases of misconduct by immig agents: -kneeling on necks 52x -Agents choking people 10x -smashing car windows 47x -ramming cars 14x -Hit people w/ car 6x Report repeatedly cites ProPublica's reporting B/c transparency takes a village--when the govt blocks it
Fun Union Story: My mother discovered by glancing at a coworker's check that she was being paid considerably less than a younger white woman with less experience and far fewer years on the job. She went to her union (shout out 1199). They adjusted her salary and got her retroactive back pay.
Screaming Pectoriloquy@caulimovirus.bsky.social · 3w agomy union negotiated an $8,000 lump sum to be put directly into my bank account last week. so far i’ve paid $923 in union dues since starting this job last year. pretty good return on investment.
my union negotiated an $8,000 lump sum to be put directly into my bank account last week. so far i’ve paid $923 in union dues since starting this job last year. pretty good return on investment.
THREAD 1: State Senate seats we must hold to keep our DFL majority ⬇️
Salena@salena.bsky.social · 2mo agoMinnesotans: One of the most important things we can do in November is protect (and expand) the one-seat DFL majority in the Senate, and take back a DFL majority in the House. I’m going to quote this post with threads of protect and flip seats and candidate info for you to check out. #mnleg
Nice to see this recognized: “In the 1960s, socialists were among the most effective leaders of the civil rights movement, bringing radical ideas of racial and economic equality to the masses.”
How American Socialism Changed, and Stormed the Democratic Party (Gift Article)
The movement was better at critiquing the system than reshaping it. But it has never had this much mainstream political power.
nytimes.com
@fb-refugee.bsky.social it was nice to see you pictured at the AAUP conference. I was sorry to miss it. I hope you’re well.
Jesus, Jamelle really skewers this situation. What an ignominious toady! www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4HM...
What is there to say about Lindsay Graham?
YouTube video by Takes™ by Jamelle Bouie
youtube.com
he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Quintessential Politician of This Era
The late South Carolina senator made a mid-career turn to MAGA.
theatlantic.com