Tanishia Lavette
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tanishialavette.bsky.social
Tanishia Lavette
@tanishialavette.bsky.social
7 followers 2 following 24 posts
Writing toward freedom. Researching race, policy, and curriculum memory. Scholar of structure, believer in story. Quiet space for in-progress thoughts and archival echoes.
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tanishialavette.bsky.social
This photograph, titled "Learning is Wealth," was taken in the 1860s and circulated as part of a campaign to raise funds for the education of formerly enslaved people.

It shows four individuals (three children and a Black man) reading together. Or at least, appearing to.
A sepia-toned photograph from the 1860s titled “Learning Is Wealth” shows a seated Black man in modest clothing holding an open book, surrounded by three white-passing children. One child stands to his right, looking down at a book; two girls sit to his left, also holding books. The group appears posed in a domestic studio setting, simulating a shared reading scene. The caption at the bottom reads: “LEARNING IS WEALTH. Wilson, Charley, Rebecca & Rosa. Slaves from New Orleans.” The image was part of an abolitionist fundraising campaign to support education for freed people. The scene evokes moral sentiment and respectability while staging interracial literacy as a symbol of national progress.
July 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
tanishialavette.bsky.social
June 19, 1900 — Emancipation Day, Texas.

This is what history looks like when carried in the body, not just printed in the textbook.
June 19, 2025 at 9:02 PM
tanishialavette.bsky.social
At the end of this week, NYC students will sit for the US History Regents exam. The test falls one day after Juneteenth. I can’t help but wonder what themes of freedom will surface.

So, I looked at the test from January of this year to see what topics were assessed in the prior exam. 🧵
June 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM