Author | Lightnews

etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 2d

Part Four in my five-week dialogue with @robert_the_contemplative in response to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.

A meditation on leaving and returning, on memory and the quiet sanctuaries we carry in our hearts.

Read the full poem on my Substack:

freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-on...

https://freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-ones-who-stayed

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

Your work is too important to stay hidden.

Audit your online presence. Make it current, cohesive, and true to your scholarly identity.

Your ideas deserve to be seen.

Your story deserves to be told.

Read the full essay: www.thetenuretrack.com/p/visibility...

#AcademicTwitter #HigherEd

Visibility in Academia

Building a digital presence that reflects your work

www.thetenuretrack.com

etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

An outdated or missing digital presence has costs:

• Lost collaborations
• Missed media opportunities
• Fewer student connections
• Reduced funding success

It’s not about chasing followers.

It’s about ensuring your ideas reach the people who need them most.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

The problem is what I call the Visibility Paradox.

Academics are told:

“Let your work speak for itself.”
…but also, “Promote your research.”

“Be public-facing.”
…but “Don’t look self-promotional.”

No wonder so many end up either completely absent online or scattered across outdated profiles.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

Here’s the truth:

Your digital presence isn’t vanity.

It’s visibility.

And in today’s academic world, visibility directly shapes your ability to teach, publish, and influence your field.

If your work can’t be found, it might not have the greatest reach.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

Unless you stumbled upon that single headline, you’d have no idea they’d just earned national recognition for their teaching.

And this isn’t rare.

Many academics are doing remarkable, world-shifting work.

But their digital presence tells the story of someone who disappeared years ago.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 8d

A few months ago, I saw a headline on LinkedIn:

“Professor Wins Teaching Award.”

Curious, I clicked to learn more.

Their bio was 3 years out of date.
Their headshot looked like it was from 2005.
Their LinkedIn mentioned projects from years ago.

Brilliant scholar.

Invisible online.

🧵⤵️

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 17d

After the Comet: Du Bois, Afrofuturism, and Constitutional Renewal — forthcoming in NYU Law Review (2026).

What if W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Comet—a speculative short story—holds the key to understanding how protest movements repeatedly remake and renew the Constitution?

Stay tuned.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 17d

A new essay over on Substack, adapted remarks from a recent symposium where I discuss my hair journey.

open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...

Flesh That Weeps

The Professional Politics of Hair in Legal Workplaces

open.substack.com

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

In short:

Data informs. Stories transform.

Want to read the full reflection (and how to use storytelling to strengthen your academic voice)?

👉🏽 Read the full post with a lot more tips on my Substack: www.thetenuretrack.com/p/the-story-...

The Story Every Scholar Needs to Tell

A guide to sharing your journey with purpose and power

www.thetenuretrack.com

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

B: “I grew up watching my immigrant parents struggle to understand their rights. Now I study how we decide what the Constitution means and who makes that decision.”

Both are true.

Only one invites you in.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

Consider the difference:

A: “I research constitutional interpretation, focusing on originalism and its application in contemporary jurisprudence.”

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

4. Stories reveal character.

Your research tells people what you know.

Your story tells people who you are.

And in an era when personal brand and trust matter more than ever, character often tips the scales for who gets chosen and heard.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

3. Stories demonstrate authentic expertise.

Anyone can memorize facts.

But the story of how you came to care about your questions, the obstacles you’ve overcome, and the insights you’ve gained . . .

that’s what shows real depth and authenticity.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

2. Stories establish relatability.

Even if your research is specialized, the human experiences behind it—curiosity, frustration, discovery, setback—are universal.

Those shared emotions create common ground with any audience.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

1. Stories create emotional connection.

When you share the personal experiences that led to your research interests, you invite others into your world.

That emotional connection makes your work memorable and meaningful.

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 18d

Here's Why Stories Trump Statistics in Academia. . .

As scholars, we’re trained to build arguments with evidence, precedent, and logic.

But when it comes to communicating who we are and why our work matters, narrative often succeeds where pure logic fails.

Here’s why 👇🏽🧵

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 19d

Check out this wonderful article about @ebonyt_phd’s new comic!

‘Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics blackgirlnerds.com/crash-cart-b...

'Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics | Black Girl Nerds

Spread the loveHellcat Comics is giving fans something powerful and pulse-pounding with Crash Cart, a brand-new webcomic from Dr. Ebony Toussaint — a registered nurse, scientist, and storyteller who’s...

blackgirlnerds.com

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 23d

So proud of my wife @ebonyt_phd — she just dropped her first comic! 🚨💜

Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse racing against time during a Code STEMI (a massive heart attack). It’s a powerful mix of science, art, and storytelling.

m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/cr...

#Comics #EmergencyNursing

Crash Cart - Code STEMI

In the emergency department, every second counts. Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse, as she leaps into action during a Code STEMI — a full cardiac arrest after a massive heart attack. The panels ...

m.webtoons.com

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Reposted by etienne toussaint

etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 29d

Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!

fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...

TCS New York Marathon

Thank you for supporting my marathon journey with #TeamUJC. This year, I’m running my very first marathon—the NYC Marathon—as part of a deeper personal milestone: turning 40. I was born and raise...

fundraisers.nyrr.org

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Reposted by etienne toussaint

etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · Sep 19

Your words carry weight.

But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.

Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.

Because someone out there needs to hear it.

And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.

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Reposted by etienne toussaint

etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · Sep 24

A poem written in response to the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene in Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners.

Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.

open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...

Vampires in the Shadows

A Poetic Journey Through Ryan Coogler's Sinners (Part 3)

open.substack.com

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Reposted by etienne toussaint

Ben Railton @americanstudier.bsky.social · 27d

+ @bcgl.bsky.social & @longreads.com @saulelbein.bsky.social @mollytempleton.com & @reactorsff.bsky.social @bcdreyer.social @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social @chrisyogerst.com @ruthjoffre.bsky.social & @bwdr.bsky.social @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social @silaslapham.bsky.social & many more! +

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 27d

Had a great time at Drexel’s inaugural Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law, and Policy symposium this weekend.

Huge thanks to Professor Wendy Greene for her vision and leadership in bringing us all together for this groundbreaking gathering.

Truly an honor to be part of it

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etienne toussaint @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social · 29d

Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!

fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...

TCS New York Marathon

Thank you for supporting my marathon journey with #TeamUJC. This year, I’m running my very first marathon—the NYC Marathon—as part of a deeper personal milestone: turning 40. I was born and raise...

fundraisers.nyrr.org

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