Shirley Wajda
@stwajda.bsky.social
Historian, curator, knitter of the American experience, daughter & granddaughter of immigrants, waiting for Lefty & CLE World Series win. American material & visual culture, museum studies, craftivism, women's history, everyday life. Too many projects.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
This is the kind of thing white supremacists have been doing to Emmett Till’s memorial for decades.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
Someone doused Renee Good’s Minneapolis memorial and a nearby pile of wood with gasoline and started a fire at about 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Renee Good memorial site in south Minneapolis doused in gasoline
Damage was minimal but police are investigating.
bit.ly
February 18, 2026 at 5:19 PM
This is the kind of thing white supremacists have been doing to Emmett Till’s memorial for decades.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
It’s wild to see them do this to a white woman who the entire world saw extrajudicially murdered.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
““These are coercive measures designed to attack our ability to do our jobs objectively and independently,” she said. “We want people to appreciate how wrong this.”
Sanctions on ICC judges - just wrong.
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb...
Sanctions on ICC judges - just wrong.
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb...
Credit cards cancelled, Google accounts closed: ICC judges on life under Trump sanctions
Kimberly Prost and Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza vow US reprisals will not affect work of international criminal court
www.theguardian.com
February 18, 2026 at 12:38 PM
““These are coercive measures designed to attack our ability to do our jobs objectively and independently,” she said. “We want people to appreciate how wrong this.”
Sanctions on ICC judges - just wrong.
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb...
Sanctions on ICC judges - just wrong.
www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
"each section, on its own, would merit a monograph. But one of the strengths of @sethrockman.bsky.social writing is his ability to link these disparate parts of the material culture...into a strong compelling cohesive narrative" @robgreeneii.bsky.social @susih.bsky.social s-usih.org/2026/02/robe...
Robert Greene II on Seth Rockman’s *Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery* | Society for US Intellectual History
Seth Rockman’s work, Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery offers a tantalizing display of historical craftsmanship that should appeal to historians of material culture, antebellum-...
s-usih.org
February 17, 2026 at 11:28 PM
"each section, on its own, would merit a monograph. But one of the strengths of @sethrockman.bsky.social writing is his ability to link these disparate parts of the material culture...into a strong compelling cohesive narrative" @robgreeneii.bsky.social @susih.bsky.social s-usih.org/2026/02/robe...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Warrantless searches sparked the American Revolution. In the 1760s, Britain made complaints similar to this about policing American merchants & resorted to issuing blanket "writs of assistance" to customs officers to enter ships, businesses, and homes without a specific warrant or even any evidence.
Rep. Buddy Carter: "Some of the demands that the Democrats have put forth, we're not gonna be able to obtain that. We can't have a warrant every time."
February 17, 2026 at 5:39 PM
Warrantless searches sparked the American Revolution. In the 1760s, Britain made complaints similar to this about policing American merchants & resorted to issuing blanket "writs of assistance" to customs officers to enter ships, businesses, and homes without a specific warrant or even any evidence.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
The Meritocrats!
Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old White House aide and a longtime executive assistant for President Trump, is slated to be sworn into the 126-year-old commission that is set to review his White House ballroom plans.
Harris has no notable arts expertise.
Harris has no notable arts expertise.
Trump picks his White House assistant for panel reviewing ballroom
Chamberlain Harris, a 26-year-old White House aide and the president’s longtime executive assistant, is set to be sworn in Thursday.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 17, 2026 at 8:02 PM
The Meritocrats!
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Apart from all the water they're wasting, it seems AI companies are rapidly depleting our national strategic reserve of adverbs.
Reading Anthropic's new "constitution" for its bot Claude. I teach writing at a college. If a first year student handed this in--the summary of priorities--I'd say it borders on meaningless.
February 17, 2026 at 7:45 PM
Apart from all the water they're wasting, it seems AI companies are rapidly depleting our national strategic reserve of adverbs.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
“Not one third of the inhabitants, even of this province, are of English descent,” Thomas Paine noted in Common Sense, "This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe."
February 17, 2026 at 4:04 PM
“Not one third of the inhabitants, even of this province, are of English descent,” Thomas Paine noted in Common Sense, "This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe."
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
GSWs at Penn win improved union security, protections against discrimination and harassment, better support for international workers, improved vision and dental coverage, more benefits for parent workers, improvements to accessibility and a 22% increase in the graduate stipend.
Graduate student union reaches tentative agreement with Penn, averting strike
The agreement comes after more than a year of negotiations between the University and the union, which represents more than 3,700 graduate workers with teaching and research positions at Penn.
www.thedp.com
February 17, 2026 at 4:43 PM
GSWs at Penn win improved union security, protections against discrimination and harassment, better support for international workers, improved vision and dental coverage, more benefits for parent workers, improvements to accessibility and a 22% increase in the graduate stipend.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
I just read Michelle Caswell and Bergis Jules' on funding for community archives, and you should too.
Their argument: we need a strategy for large-scale private philanthropy to sustain community archives and ensure the survival of the stories they tell.
medium.com/community-ar...
Their argument: we need a strategy for large-scale private philanthropy to sustain community archives and ensure the survival of the stories they tell.
medium.com/community-ar...
If Federal Museums Aren’t Allowed to Tell the Truth About the Past, it’sTime to Start Supporting…
By Michelle Caswell and Bergis Jules
medium.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:27 PM
I just read Michelle Caswell and Bergis Jules' on funding for community archives, and you should too.
Their argument: we need a strategy for large-scale private philanthropy to sustain community archives and ensure the survival of the stories they tell.
medium.com/community-ar...
Their argument: we need a strategy for large-scale private philanthropy to sustain community archives and ensure the survival of the stories they tell.
medium.com/community-ar...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
If you are wondering what words the all-male Congress found so "blasphemous" that they felt compelled to literally scrape them off the monument, they were: ''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''
On this day in 1921, Congress reluctantly accepted a sculpture memorializing women’s 19th A victory. Congress relegated the memorial to the Capitol’s crypt & painted over the feminist inscription. The statue stayed entombed in the crypt for 76 years. The inscription is still not restored. #WeTheMen
February 16, 2026 at 4:35 PM
If you are wondering what words the all-male Congress found so "blasphemous" that they felt compelled to literally scrape them off the monument, they were: ''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Some good news for historical truth-telling: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Orders Slavery Displays Restored at George Washington’s Philadelphia Home
www.nytimes.com
February 16, 2026 at 11:04 PM
Some good news for historical truth-telling: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
👀 Invoking Orwell, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore panels and historical acknowledgments of the history of slavery that the National Park Service removed in Philadelphia. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 16, 2026 at 6:24 PM
👀 Invoking Orwell, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore panels and historical acknowledgments of the history of slavery that the National Park Service removed in Philadelphia. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled in favor of the President’s House’s slavery exhibit to be restored on Monday. There is no timetable when the 34 plaques and videos that told the story of enslaved Africans kept in George Washington’s residence at the exhibit will be restored. #PhillyTrib
February 16, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled in favor of the President’s House’s slavery exhibit to be restored on Monday. There is no timetable when the 34 plaques and videos that told the story of enslaved Africans kept in George Washington’s residence at the exhibit will be restored. #PhillyTrib
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Michael W. Twitty's cookbook celebrates the South’s complicated heritage : NPR share.google/oxz299PgIBA7...
A celebration of the South's rich — and messy — heritage, delivered on a plate
In a new cookbook, culinary historian Michael W. Twitty pays homage to the rich tapestry of cultures that have shaped Southern cuisine — and keeps a gimlet eye on the region's complicated history.
share.google
November 27, 2025 at 4:59 AM
Michael W. Twitty's cookbook celebrates the South’s complicated heritage : NPR share.google/oxz299PgIBA7...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Interesting bit here from Semper re the relation between stylistic development & the trades: the success of the Gothic-revival in the mid-19thc as a modern style depended on tradespeople working on the preservation of authentic medieval monuments and becoming proficient in craft-processes & forms
February 15, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Interesting bit here from Semper re the relation between stylistic development & the trades: the success of the Gothic-revival in the mid-19thc as a modern style depended on tradespeople working on the preservation of authentic medieval monuments and becoming proficient in craft-processes & forms
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Importantly, for the moment, Epstein’s circle is winning. Area studies and women’s and gender studies departments are being closed and outlawed. All the structures we put in place to compel the Lee’s of the world to do the right thing even when they don’t want to are being eliminated. 🧪
February 16, 2026 at 2:37 PM
Importantly, for the moment, Epstein’s circle is winning. Area studies and women’s and gender studies departments are being closed and outlawed. All the structures we put in place to compel the Lee’s of the world to do the right thing even when they don’t want to are being eliminated. 🧪
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
I talked to BookToker, reader, and writer Josh Johnson (@joshreadsbooks.bsky.social) about my book and about how we remember George Washington's involvement in slavery. Happy Presidents' Day. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjcI...
Investigating George Washington's Legacy
YouTube video by Josh Reads Books
www.youtube.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:46 PM
I talked to BookToker, reader, and writer Josh Johnson (@joshreadsbooks.bsky.social) about my book and about how we remember George Washington's involvement in slavery. Happy Presidents' Day. www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjcI...
Assumes, of course, Guilty Whale.
Both have stories.
Both have stories.
February 16, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Assumes, of course, Guilty Whale.
Both have stories.
Both have stories.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Omigoodness. If it turns out that suing the NEH yields a list of DOGE staff and contractors, that will be a happy day, indeed!
👀 A federal judge has ordered the disclosure of a roster of DOGE employees and affiliates, as well as a text message revealing a top NEH official’s views on “woke” and “progressive” grants. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 14, 2026 at 2:01 AM
Omigoodness. If it turns out that suing the NEH yields a list of DOGE staff and contractors, that will be a happy day, indeed!
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Bookmarking this to share with students in the Textile Dataviz class when they're struggling to get started on their final projects. Really appreciate how Kim lays out the struggles of a project like this: it's never just "stitch the color for the temperature". #DHmakes
2026 Temperature Project: A Cozy Garden (and a Chaotic January Catch-Up)
A whimsical garden cottage powered by sheer determination. January nearly broke me, but my 2026 temperature cross stitch project is officially underway. 🌱
A whimsical garden cottage powered by sheer determination. January nearly broke me, but my 2026 temperature cross stitch project is officially underway. 🌱
2026 Temperature Project: A Cozy Garden (and a Chaotic January Catch-Up)
A whimsical garden cottage powered by sheer determination. January nearly broke me, but my 2026 temperature cross stitch project is officially underway. 🌱
kimberlyfaye.blog
February 15, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Bookmarking this to share with students in the Textile Dataviz class when they're struggling to get started on their final projects. Really appreciate how Kim lays out the struggles of a project like this: it's never just "stitch the color for the temperature". #DHmakes
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Today's the day!
@inpursuitusa.bsky.social is now live. We kick off the series with former president George W. Bush on George Washington's willingness to surrender power:
inpursuit.substack.com/p/george-was...
We've also included an audio version of the essay read by Mr. Bush himself.
@inpursuitusa.bsky.social is now live. We kick off the series with former president George W. Bush on George Washington's willingness to surrender power:
inpursuit.substack.com/p/george-was...
We've also included an audio version of the essay read by Mr. Bush himself.
February 16, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Today's the day!
@inpursuitusa.bsky.social is now live. We kick off the series with former president George W. Bush on George Washington's willingness to surrender power:
inpursuit.substack.com/p/george-was...
We've also included an audio version of the essay read by Mr. Bush himself.
@inpursuitusa.bsky.social is now live. We kick off the series with former president George W. Bush on George Washington's willingness to surrender power:
inpursuit.substack.com/p/george-was...
We've also included an audio version of the essay read by Mr. Bush himself.
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
leaving out cookies and milk for george washington tonight
February 16, 2026 at 3:48 AM
leaving out cookies and milk for george washington tonight
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
One of my fiber suppliers is giving this draft away.
You will have to give them information; as the delivery method uses their billing system.
What you get is four drafts, and four .wif files.
www.gistyarn.com/products/res...
You will have to give them information; as the delivery method uses their billing system.
What you get is four drafts, and four .wif files.
www.gistyarn.com/products/res...
Resistance is American
From the Homespun movement of the Revolutionary War to the abolitionist boycotts of cotton produced by enslaved labor, American textiles have always carried a rich history of resistance. "Resistance i...
www.gistyarn.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:54 PM
One of my fiber suppliers is giving this draft away.
You will have to give them information; as the delivery method uses their billing system.
What you get is four drafts, and four .wif files.
www.gistyarn.com/products/res...
You will have to give them information; as the delivery method uses their billing system.
What you get is four drafts, and four .wif files.
www.gistyarn.com/products/res...
Reposted by Shirley Wajda
Rubio’s tone deafness in making assumptions about what would strike a chord rather than nauseate … My Yiddish and German speaking relatives were among millions who arrived in America carrying the trauma of persecution by Christians.
The Rubio speech really is appalling, and if you haven’t read it yet, you should.
www.state.gov/releases/off...
www.state.gov/releases/off...
February 15, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Rubio’s tone deafness in making assumptions about what would strike a chord rather than nauseate … My Yiddish and German speaking relatives were among millions who arrived in America carrying the trauma of persecution by Christians.
Many years ago, the guy I thought I would marry broke up with me on Valentine's Day. Over the telephone.
Wow, was I lucky.
Wow, was I lucky.
February 15, 2026 at 12:19 AM
Many years ago, the guy I thought I would marry broke up with me on Valentine's Day. Over the telephone.
Wow, was I lucky.
Wow, was I lucky.