Dr. Jim Downs
@jimdowns.bsky.social
Author of Author of Maladies of Empire & Sick from Freedom; Stand by Me: The Forgotten History of Gay Liberation; Gilder Lehrman NEH Prof at Gettysburg College; https://www.jimdownsofficial.com
I woke up this morning to an email from Jonathan Ned Katz, the father of gay American history, telling me that my article is in print in The New York Times. I am standing on his shoulders. He paved the way for so many of us to do this work. Thank you, Jonathan!
January 8, 2026 at 12:21 AM
I woke up this morning to an email from Jonathan Ned Katz, the father of gay American history, telling me that my article is in print in The New York Times. I am standing on his shoulders. He paved the way for so many of us to do this work. Thank you, Jonathan!
Thrilled to announce our CFP for a new LCP–APS conference on the long history of Black declarations of independence. Presenters will focus on one document to keep the work publicly accessible
Please spread the word!
librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
Please spread the word!
librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
December 9, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Thrilled to announce our CFP for a new LCP–APS conference on the long history of Black declarations of independence. Presenters will focus on one document to keep the work publicly accessible
Please spread the word!
librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
Please spread the word!
librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
Deeply grateful to my mentors & friends—David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry—for joining me & Scott Hancock in Gettysburg for an inspiring, riveting conversation about the past, present, and future of Civil War studies. We had 380 people in the room and another 250 tuning in online
November 21, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Deeply grateful to my mentors & friends—David Blight, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Stephanie McCurry—for joining me & Scott Hancock in Gettysburg for an inspiring, riveting conversation about the past, present, and future of Civil War studies. We had 380 people in the room and another 250 tuning in online
As the history wars heat up, we’re releasing a new book that brings together some of the nation’s leading voices—Nikole Hannah-Jones, Annette Gordon-Reed, and many others—for an urgent, energizing conversation about the origins of the United States. Preorder is now available.
November 16, 2025 at 7:05 PM
As the history wars heat up, we’re releasing a new book that brings together some of the nation’s leading voices—Nikole Hannah-Jones, Annette Gordon-Reed, and many others—for an urgent, energizing conversation about the origins of the United States. Preorder is now available.
Thrilled to receive a Russian copy of my book Maladies of Empire.Even as a supporter of Ukraine, it’s remarkable this translation was completed. I’m glad readers in Russia will have access to this history of transatlantic slave trade, the US Civil War & the origin of epidemiology
November 14, 2025 at 10:55 PM
Thrilled to receive a Russian copy of my book Maladies of Empire.Even as a supporter of Ukraine, it’s remarkable this translation was completed. I’m glad readers in Russia will have access to this history of transatlantic slave trade, the US Civil War & the origin of epidemiology
Library Company of Philadelphia is hosting an excellent panel on Black photography during Reconstruction on October 21. Please register for this in person event! support.librarycompany.org/event/the-fo...
September 17, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Library Company of Philadelphia is hosting an excellent panel on Black photography during Reconstruction on October 21. Please register for this in person event! support.librarycompany.org/event/the-fo...
Thrilled to publish this article on queer heritage in the 19th Century and beyond
August 14, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Thrilled to publish this article on queer heritage in the 19th Century and beyond
I’m thrilled to organize this event at the Library Company of Philadelphia for Juneteenth. Please consider attending. Registration is free and open to the public. support.librarycompany.org/event/junete...
May 12, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I’m thrilled to organize this event at the Library Company of Philadelphia for Juneteenth. Please consider attending. Registration is free and open to the public. support.librarycompany.org/event/junete...
I won a Guggenheim! Thank you to all those who supported me over the years! The Philadelphia Inquirer featured me in a story & all the #guggfellows2025 were listed in the New York Times on Sunday. Thank you!
April 22, 2025 at 4:53 PM
I won a Guggenheim! Thank you to all those who supported me over the years! The Philadelphia Inquirer featured me in a story & all the #guggfellows2025 were listed in the New York Times on Sunday. Thank you!
Historians, if you have undergraduates studying Black History in the c18 & c19, please encourage them to apply for a summer fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia. I am extending the deadline.
librarycompany.org/mellon-schol...
librarycompany.org/mellon-schol...
March 10, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Historians, if you have undergraduates studying Black History in the c18 & c19, please encourage them to apply for a summer fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia. I am extending the deadline.
librarycompany.org/mellon-schol...
librarycompany.org/mellon-schol...
Come celebrate Black History Month at the Black Philadelphia conference February 20- 22 in Philadelphia! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
February 1, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Come celebrate Black History Month at the Black Philadelphia conference February 20- 22 in Philadelphia! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
BIG NEWS ALERT: Please come to the BLACK PHILADELPHIA Feb 20-22, 2025 that I am co-organizing with 1838 Black Metropolis & McNeil Center at Penn. A brilliant lineup of scholars, thinkers and writers are presenting! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
January 8, 2025 at 10:46 PM
BIG NEWS ALERT: Please come to the BLACK PHILADELPHIA Feb 20-22, 2025 that I am co-organizing with 1838 Black Metropolis & McNeil Center at Penn. A brilliant lineup of scholars, thinkers and writers are presenting! librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
Last Monday was the DuBois Forum, hosted by the brilliant visionaries Kendra Taira Field & Kerri Greenidge. It was, as always, an invigorating & inspiring event that began at the Boston Athenaeum, followed by reception, followed by dinner, then drinks at a pub followed by Chinese food at 1:30am.
December 23, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Last Monday was the DuBois Forum, hosted by the brilliant visionaries Kendra Taira Field & Kerri Greenidge. It was, as always, an invigorating & inspiring event that began at the Boston Athenaeum, followed by reception, followed by dinner, then drinks at a pub followed by Chinese food at 1:30am.
That’s a wrap. My last major obligation at the end of the semester is complete.
December 19, 2024 at 9:46 PM
That’s a wrap. My last major obligation at the end of the semester is complete.
Thankful to spend time with the legendary physician & histoian extraordinaire Vanessa Northington Gamble on Thanksgiving weekend.
November 30, 2024 at 9:07 PM
Thankful to spend time with the legendary physician & histoian extraordinaire Vanessa Northington Gamble on Thanksgiving weekend.
Thanks to the resplendent Carrie Janney for delivering the Fortenbaugh lecture at Gettysburg College last night. She was brilliant & engaging & everyone is still applauding the next day!
November 20, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Thanks to the resplendent Carrie Janney for delivering the Fortenbaugh lecture at Gettysburg College last night. She was brilliant & engaging & everyone is still applauding the next day!
Thanks Georgetown Medical Humanities for inviting Cindy Ermus, Mari Webel and me to discuss the history of colonialism & medicine. John McNeil was our chair & Lakshmi Krishnan & Tim Newfield were the organizers.
November 14, 2024 at 7:22 PM
Thanks Georgetown Medical Humanities for inviting Cindy Ermus, Mari Webel and me to discuss the history of colonialism & medicine. John McNeil was our chair & Lakshmi Krishnan & Tim Newfield were the organizers.
DC Friends: this Wednesday (11/13), I will be giving a talk at Georgetown and I will be in conversation with Cindy Ermus, John McNeil, and Mari Webel on the history of colonialism and epidemics. Join us!
November 9, 2024 at 10:53 PM
DC Friends: this Wednesday (11/13), I will be giving a talk at Georgetown and I will be in conversation with Cindy Ermus, John McNeil, and Mari Webel on the history of colonialism and epidemics. Join us!
CIVIL WAR HISTORY hosted a discussion on Robin Bernstein's new book, Freeman's Challenge, about the original prison for profit. Thanks to this smart, interdisciplinary group: Crystal Feimster, Evan Kutzler, Jonathan Lande, Koritha Mitchell, Heather Thompson, $ Jon Wells! The issue will be out 2025
October 11, 2024 at 7:15 PM
CIVIL WAR HISTORY hosted a discussion on Robin Bernstein's new book, Freeman's Challenge, about the original prison for profit. Thanks to this smart, interdisciplinary group: Crystal Feimster, Evan Kutzler, Jonathan Lande, Koritha Mitchell, Heather Thompson, $ Jon Wells! The issue will be out 2025
As Director of the Program in African American History at the Library Co of Phila, I am thrilled to post the CFP for a conference, BLACK PHILA, that I am organizing with 1838 Black Metropolis & McNeil Center at Penn. Please distribute widely: librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
August 30, 2024 at 3:30 PM
As Director of the Program in African American History at the Library Co of Phila, I am thrilled to post the CFP for a conference, BLACK PHILA, that I am organizing with 1838 Black Metropolis & McNeil Center at Penn. Please distribute widely: librarycompany.org/academic-pro...
Today is Publication Day! This book captures the intergenerational dialogue that spans from history to law from political marches to reproductive justice and from Black feminist novels to 1980s pop music. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0820...
August 15, 2024 at 2:23 PM
Today is Publication Day! This book captures the intergenerational dialogue that spans from history to law from political marches to reproductive justice and from Black feminist novels to 1980s pop music. www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0820...
NEW BOOK ALERT:I'm thrilled to announce that my series will publish this book on 8/15 on abortion.It’s a conversation w/ Pulitzer Prize Winner Salamishah Tillet, Deirdre Cooper-Owens, @kawulf.bsky.social, Rhae Lynn Barnes,Catherine Clinton, Fiona de Londras, Johanna Schoen & Alicia Gutierrez-Romine
August 7, 2024 at 3:10 PM
NEW BOOK ALERT:I'm thrilled to announce that my series will publish this book on 8/15 on abortion.It’s a conversation w/ Pulitzer Prize Winner Salamishah Tillet, Deirdre Cooper-Owens, @kawulf.bsky.social, Rhae Lynn Barnes,Catherine Clinton, Fiona de Londras, Johanna Schoen & Alicia Gutierrez-Romine
Happy 🏳️🌈 Craig Rodwell, an architect of the 1st Pride, created a bookstore in 1967 b4 Stonewall that opposed the leading gay groups politics.”I wanted the Society to set up a combination bookstore, counseling service, fund-raising headquarters, and office. The main thing was to be out on the street.”
June 1, 2024 at 8:22 PM
Happy 🏳️🌈 Craig Rodwell, an architect of the 1st Pride, created a bookstore in 1967 b4 Stonewall that opposed the leading gay groups politics.”I wanted the Society to set up a combination bookstore, counseling service, fund-raising headquarters, and office. The main thing was to be out on the street.”
Thrilled this is published. I explain how the transatlantic slave trade coincided w/ the rise of chemistry, which crystalized ideas about oxygen.I then track ventilation from the c19 slavey to TB to CoVid to BLM. Thanks @steerewilliams.bsky.social for editing! academic.oup.com/jhmas/advanc...
May 30, 2024 at 3:57 PM
Thrilled this is published. I explain how the transatlantic slave trade coincided w/ the rise of chemistry, which crystalized ideas about oxygen.I then track ventilation from the c19 slavey to TB to CoVid to BLM. Thanks @steerewilliams.bsky.social for editing! academic.oup.com/jhmas/advanc...