a man in a black hat is standing in a dark room and talking to another man . Alt: Welcome to the Rock

On the other hand,

Wait, if you're here for sourdough please also be here for the things that I put work into like the new film review I posted right before the bread

April 21, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Marc McGinnes & Denis Hayes – Black and White and Read All Over [Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the folks who helped create & popul...

So for the next post in my Earth Day Founders blog series, on what we can learn from both the role of politicians & especially the crucial & inspiring 1969-1970 work of young activists Marc McGinnes & Denis Hayes!

blackwhiteandread.com/april-21-202...

There likely would have been no first Earth Day without the efforts of two national elected officials--& also, & even more crucially, the two young men who, at the request of those politicians, moved away from promising careers to dedicate themselves to environmental activism that changed the world.

If you love American music, this is monumental. The clarity on this discovered test pressing reveals Johnson's genius to an even greater degree than the '61 re-release of his 29 songs. You can hear the stabbing slide and delicate fingering on every string. Amazing.

I know I've shared it a few times, but for folks seeing this who might be interested, the new season of my podcast focuses on baseball at Manzanar. Here's the latest, Fourth Inning:

americanstudier.podbean.com/e/the-fourth...

Word. & I say again, once more with feeling: the crisis of higher ed is the longstanding & worsening defunding of public education, alongside all the other contemporary attacks. This bullshit doesn't help.

We're Going to Steal the Falcon of Independence – Black and White and Read All Over A Symbolism Approach to The Maltese Falcon (1941) [Contains spoilers] Poster for The Maltese Falcon (1941) via IMDb The Maltese Falcon (1941) - Symbolism Happy 101st review, lovelies! I’ve loved this ...

This week for Review Roulette, I looked at symbolism in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and likened it, in a way, to National Treasure (I'm sorry).

April 20, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Rod Nash – Black and White and Read All Over [Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the folks who helped create & popul...

& Muir makes for an interesting predecessor to this week's blog series on Earth Day founders:

blackwhiteandread.com/april-20-202...

& @sisterhelen.org continues to do her vital work to this day:

www.sisterhelen.org

Thoughtful take here on Muir's prejudices:

vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_ex...

Happy John Muir Day (a fraught figure like so many on the Calendar, but still a vital part of our environmental histories) & Sister Helen Prejean Day!

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/april-nomi...

Did you know that Earth Day started with a document on environmental rights inspired by the Declaration of Independence, drafted by a college professor on a boat surveying the damage from a catastrophic oil spill? That & much more in today’s post! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Bottom line: what we talk about when we talk about patriotism is nothing short than what & who are American. Questions at the heart of every other debate here in 2026. To end with Langston himself: "O, yes, I say it plain/America never was America to me/And yet I swear this oath—/America will be!"

I've got an e-copy of the book's proofs that I'm happy to send to anyone interested; shoot me an email (brailton@fitchburgstate.edu) or pass along your email here & I'll get it your way!

www.bloomsbury.com/us/of-thee-i...

Considering History: The American Revolution’s Most Inspiring Patriots Include Enslaved African Americans | The Saturday Evening Post Many of the heroes of the American Revolution were unsung African Americans who used their critical patriotism to effect profound change.

& here on Patriots' Day, as on every other, let's better remember the American Revolution's most inspiring active & critical patriots, enslaved people like Massachusetts's own Elizabeth Freeman & Quock Walker who made the Revolution's ideals their own & helped abolish slavery in the state.

Considering History: The Dangerous “Patriotism” of the January 6 Insurrection | The Saturday Evening Post American Studies Professor Ben Railton discusses the January 6 insurrection as an example of mythic patriotism, a divisive and destructive type of patriotism that can be seen today and throughout Amer...

The January 6th domestic terrorists were inspired by & exemplified the most exclusionary & destructive form of American patriotism, mythic patriotism, which defines an American history & identity which excludes both countless Americans & anyone who critiques their white supremacist vision:

It's Patriots' Day up here in New England. I was gonna do a whole thread inspired by the categories of patriotism I trace across our history in my book Of Thee I Sing: The Contested History of American Patriotism, but Ima boil it down to a couple things: 🗃️

‘The Ocean Is Boiling’: The Complete Oral History of the 1969 Santa Barbara Oil Spill On January 28th, 1969, crude oil and gas erupted from a platform off the coast of Santa Barbara, California

PS. As I mention at the start of that post, this @pacificstandard.bsky.social magazine oral history of the 1969 Santa Barbara spill is a must-read for the entire weeklong series & our memories of Earth Day:

psmag.com/news/the-oce...

April 20, 2026: Earth Day Founders: Rod Nash – Black and White and Read All Over [Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but it’s more important than ever here in 2026. So for this year’s commemorations I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the folks who helped create & popul...

So for the first post in my Earth Day Founders blog series, two complementary ways that the groundbreaking professor & activist Rod Nash helped kickstart the movement!

blackwhiteandread.com/april-20-202...

Starting with today's post on the @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social professor who, in response to a horrific 1969 oil spill near that city, took a couple of crucial steps: proposing a groundbreaking Environmental Studies Program; & drafting the 1970 Santa Barbara Declaration of Environmental Rights.

So this week on the blog, I’ll AmericanStudy a handful of the folks who helped create & popularize Earth Day in its original 1970 form & over the next few years. Leading up to a special weekend tribute to the work of two of our most impressive young environmental activists! 🗃️

Why Earth Day Still Matters | The Saturday Evening Post Why Earth Day began and how it developed into that first 1970 celebration offers valuable insights on how it differs from today’s social and political movements.

Earth Day has been around for more than 50 years, but as I argued in this 2018 @satevepost.bsky.social Considering History column, it's become ever more important in the 21st century--& so it remembering how & why this activist holiday started. +

www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/04/eart...

Happy Daniel Chester French Day! The Lincoln Memorial is a great piece of public art through which to commemorate Patriots' Day.

memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/april-nomi...

PS. Also, while the jam is live in effect, don’t waste time to see if you have an answer to this week’s Easter Egg, to get a shout out of you and your work if you would like in next week‘s thread!

Before Sunday ends, here’s today’s thread once more. Please share widely if you see this and are able, to get all this great work out to all of the folks. 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social

Like @americanstudier.bsky.social the Civics & Coffee household travels, so greetings from Philly! Soaking up my last few precious hours of #OAH & what better way then perusing some excellent public scholarship? ☕️

It's always an honor to be included in the #ScholarSunday thread - thanks so much @americanstudier.bsky.social and be sure to check out all of the great scholarship noted in this week's thread!

#ScholarSunday Thread 272 (4/19/26) – Black and White and Read All Over Live from New York, because #ScholarSunday travels, here’s my 272nd thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share as wid...

Live from New York, because #ScholarSunday travels, here’s my 272nd thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share as widely as possible, & enjoy, all! 🗃️ +

blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...

#ScholarSunday Thread 272 (4/19/26) – Black and White and Read All Over Live from New York, because #ScholarSunday travels, here’s my 272nd thread of great public scholarly writing, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share as wid...

+ @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social & many more. Please share the thread widely to get all this great work to all the folks, enjoy, & don’t forget to look for this week’s Easter Egg (details in the thread above)!

blackwhiteandread.com/scholarsunda...