Did you think you could never be marginalized?

Gladys Mae West obituary: mathematician who pioneered GPS technology She made key contributions to US cold-war science despite facing huge barriers as a Black woman.

No joke: I got angry hate mail today for writing an obituary of a Black woman scientist—because the person felt she did didn’t deserve the recognition.

Which just makes me want to share it again: www.nature.com/articles/d41...

As the year ends, let me thank public school teachers who, under difficult circumstances, are doing their best to educate our kids.

If this country is to flourish, we need the best education system in the world. Let’s fight for a nation where teachers are well-paid & respected.

Social studies education is essential to democracy

Trump’s America, where the government examines syllabi and sanctions words, and lets the guns run free.

#brown

This! 👇🏼

Honored to be in thought partnership with these incredible scholars! Come join us at #AERA25 tomorrow to talk about the impact of inviting teachers to learn about the histories of educational activism!

Against a background of a planet and stars in space, the poster reads: AERA 2025 Paper Session: Co-Creating Constellations - Professional Learning around Educational Activism as a Relational Space Featuring Allyson Compton, Ivelisse Ramos, Anuraag Sensharma, and Jose Vilson. April 24, 2025, 1:45 PM, Colorado Convention Center, Terrace Level, Bluebird Ballroom 3F, Join us! Session description: Through collaboratively investigating histories of educational justice movements in NYC schools, the PLE was designed around the following objectives: foster educator-activist identities, advance social justice pedagogies centered in local histories of educational activism, construct a sustainable, multi-stakeholder community of mutual support, and build institutional bridges between local K-12 educators, university scholars, and education activists.

Getting ready for #AERA2025? Check out this session, where my dream team of collaborators share the work we've been doing connecting the history of movements for educational justice & teacher learning. @thejosevilson.com @asensharma@bsky.social.com @allysoncompton.bsky.social

@montclairdems.bsky.social thanks for organizing a great day! I can’t believe I missed @booker.senate.gov

NJ showed up for democracy on this cold and rainy day #HandsOff

New York Times headline reading "New York says it does not intend to comply with D.E.I. order on schools"

Elementary school principals going where university presidents fear to tread...

He taught bell to bell. Proud that @booker.senate.gov is my senator. “This is a moral moment. It’s not left or right, it’s right or wrong. Let's get in good trouble.”

Fallout from Columbia capitulation fuels fears about academic freedom The outcry comes after an announcement on Friday that Columbia will institute new rules on student protests and discipline and bring in new campus police officers with arrest powers.

I’ve been fixated on how these Trump moves at Columbia can domino over to k-12. Some words from me about that here in coverage of today’s faculty protest.

Love this idea! Thanks for sharing!

Pete Buttigieg breaks down DEI for everyday folks…

“The opposite of diversity is uniformity. The opposite of equity is inequity. The opposite of inclusion is exclusion.” @petebuttigieg.bsky.social

Our problem: too many value uniformity over inclusion and they’re the ones running the government.
🧵

Students stand in solidarity with teacher told to remove "Everyone is Welcome Here" poster YouTube video by KTVB

Great update for that story I shared the other day.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsn3...

Powerful.

@algreen.house.gov: "There are times when it is better to stand alone, than not stand at all.

This president is disrupting the healthcare system. He is all but defying court orders. At some point, we're all going to have to stand up."

Setting the Record Straight: The U.S. Department of Education’s Anti-Opportunity “Dear Colleague Letter” Setting the Record StraightThe U.S. Department of Education’s Anti-Opportunity “Dear Colleague Letter”What Schools, Parents and Students Need to KnowOn February 14,

If you work at or attend a college or university, share this w/the General Counsel’s office. Tell them stop obeying in advance.
The @legaldefensefund.bsky.social has this important analysis of the Trump Administration’s “Dear Colleague” letter to higher ed leaders.
www.naacpldf.org/education-de...

Judith Butler, philosopher: ‘If you sacrifice a minority like trans people, you are operating within a fascist logic’ A leading figure in feminism and gender studies, the thinker welcomes EL PAÍS in California after being voted one of the most influential minds in the world

Judith Butler: "Once you decide that a single vulnerable minority can be sacrificed, you’re operating within a fascist logic, because that means there might be a second one you’re willing to sacrifice, and a third, a fourth, and then what happens?"

If you're feeling overwhelmed, it's intentional. They're calling it "flooding the zone." The intent is to overwhelm and exhaust us so we can not effectively resist. Something simple you can do right now now is to make sure to take breaks and rest.

Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde to Trump: "I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender people in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives ... and the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals"

Hundreds of Wisconsin high school students walked out of class & into the Capitol, demanding better mental health resources & an end to gun violence. These brave teens perfectly exemplify civil nonviolent resistance. Let them inspire you as unified, repeated resistance creates meaningful change.

Allowable any Nikki Giovanni I killed a spider Not a murderous brown recluse Nor even a black widow And if the truth were told this Was only a small Sort of papery spider Who should have run When I picked up the book But she didn't And she scared me And I smashed her I don't think I'm allowed To kill something Because I am Frightened

I return to this poem often, and have posted it around my neighborhood when the times call for it.

Today is as good as any day to return to it.

I think the transgender kids are the bravest kids right now that we see; they're as brave as my generation was in breaking down segregation. They're breaking down-I don't have the word for it right now-but it's gender prejudice, and [the idea that] somebody has decided that they can tell you who you are, what your name should be, and how you should look. And those youngsters are saying, "No, I can decide who I am, what my name should be." Everybody's mad at me like, You should be a girl because we've decided you're a girl. And they say, "Well, who the hell are you?" I can decide that I'm a boy. And if it makes me happy, what does it mean to you? And I can decide that my name is John. And if you don't like that my name is Geraldine, why can't you name yourself? And if the people who know you and love you-or have to talk to you, maybe they don't even love you but they have to talk to you -you can tell them, “This is my name, and I would like to be referred to in that way."

This interview with Nikki Giovanni from earlier this year should be required reading. oxfordamerican.org/web-only/nik...

It's a good day to be a New Jerseyan.

PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Monday to prohibit public and school libraries from banning books in the state and to enshrine protections against civil and criminal charges for librarians who comply with the law.

Libraries matter more than ever now! They embody a beautiful & brilliant idea that we must never stop defending. The idea that knowledge is free & belongs to EVERYONE. We all need to support our libraries & librarians - especially when people seek to ban books & free thinking. #libraries #books

Elevating this for my people.

A lot of educators have asked me for resources related to our newly arrived students and families and this falls in line.

Good morning!

Around this time every year, I share a list of ways to support Native people. From supporting Indigenous people seeking abortion care to defending Native voting rights and keeping Native families together, here are some causes worth supporting. 🧵