@americanstudier
Prof of Amer Lit & Studies. Dad to 2 amazing young men. Married. We the People: http://tinyurl.com/yyhxjktb; Of Thee I Sing: http://tinyurl.com/y6hsozjx. #ScholarSunday guru. https://blackwhiteandread.com he/him
PS. I wrote about that Moroccan community in Charleston for @talkingpointsmemo.com long ago. I've since learned a lot more, & added a note correcting an important misquote in that column. But the community & histories remain vital for us to better remember.
talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/if-char...
In defending that clause during NC's ratification debates, James Iredell argued, "how is it possible to exclude any set of men, without taking away that principle of religious freedom which we ourselves so warmly contend for?" Short answer, Rep. Ogles, it ain't. Your ideas are literally un-American.
& see also the Revolutionary-era Moroccan Muslim community in Charleston, South Carolina, & their effects on the Constitution's most radical moment, the "no religious test" clause:
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/10/cons...
One of the most frustrating things about much of our collective memories is that even folks who see our multicultural diversity as a strength tend to think that it evolved over time, perhaps especially in the last half-century or so. The reality is quite the opposite!
scholars.org/brief/roots-...
Happy Harriet Tubman Day!
memorydaycalendar.blogspot.com/p/march-nomi...
Did you know that one of film history’s most influential cinematographers immigrated to the U.S. in 1904 at age 5 to join his father, a Chinese railroad worker for the Northern Pacific Railway? That & more in the first post in my series on the legendary James Wong Howe! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social
Somehow I had missed that in my researches so it’s not in the week’s series, but what a great additional context, thank you!
That’s a really great additional context for Howe & the series, thanks!
This is part of what I’m talking about when I talk about art forms being exclusive. Part of the history of movies, is that the art forms was embraced by “outsiders” at a time it was considered to low, too dirty for “the right people.” They laid the framework for what we know as the art and business
Starting with today's post on 3 turn of the 20C histories which contextualize Wong Tung Jim's (his birth name) 1904 immigration, including Chinese American railroad workers (like his father), Pacific Northwest Chinatowns, & Exclusion Era anti-Chinese violence.
blackwhiteandread.com/march-9-2026...
The more I learned about James Wong Howe, the more I knew his life, work, & legacy were worthy of a weeklong blog series, both on their own terms & for all that they open up in our histories & stories. So this week I'll AmericanStudy a handful of contexts for this legendary film pioneer! 🗃️
Here's that podcast conversation, on @nkoas.bsky.social & Tom Lorenzo's excellent You're Missing Out:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/y...
Those details only begin to tell the story of James Wong Howe, one of the most unique yet most exemplary figures in the history of American film & culture. I first learned of Howe when @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social talked about his work on Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) for a podcast appearance last fall.
One of the most influential cinematographers in film history immigrated to the U.S. from China when he was 5 (in 1904), became a successful semipro boxer in the Pacific Northwest before his move to LA & serendipitous entry into the industry, & married a white woman when it was illegal to do so. +
We've just hit 350 subscribers on Black & White & Read All Over!!!
@americanstudier.bsky.social and I are very grateful for the support of our work and space to build resources and connections for public humanities scholars. Leaving Substack and rebuilding on our own site was hard but so worth it.
this is how I access bluesky
A tweet from the White House official account reading The symbol of hope. Truth. Justice. The American way. Superman Trump. With an American flag emoji. Below is a doctored version of the Superman 2025 poster with Trump's face superimposed on Superman's body
Film pitch:
Literal alien Kal-El singlehandedly fights all of the ICE pricks who are trying to deport him to Mars (because they don't care he's from Krypton) or wherever as long as he is gone and stops being the best of us by choosing to uphold and defend the American values he believes in.
Dunks
Sorry Bobby, but this is the future liberals want.
Wanna learn about the amazing Dorothy Jones, who took on McCarthyism & made the case for film studies as damn serious business? Check out @gvaughnjoy.bsky.social’s great book!
blog.degruyter.com/silent-night...
Before we run out of daylight, here’s today’s thread one more time. Please share all this great work widely, thanks! 🗃️ @hcrichardson.bsky.social
Word. Wrote about that here:
www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/01/cons...
Happy International Women's Day!
You should buy a woman's book today
Not gonna front, compiling these threads is a ton of work, amidst all kinds of other things (like travel & conferencing this past week). I love the chance to find & share so much great work, but would really love the threads to get shared more widely still. Thanks to Kevin & y'all for the support! 🗃️
Check this out, @didihowley.bsky.social!
Thanks & agreed! & for everyone else, for another great example of that speaking beyond, check out Regina's Guest Post on my AmericanStudier blog:
blackwhiteandread.com/regina-mills...
Thanks so much, man! I always appreciate the shares in any case, but as I know you know, kind & supportive words make doing the work that much more rewarding for sure. Solidarity!
