Tamisha J. Ponder, PhD

My gorgeous girl really deserves more attention. If more people understood what she teaches about know-your-place aggression, more “good” and “decent “ white people would realize it’s way past time for them to work deliberately to make society good and decent.

Get Rooted This Summer! 📚💫🧘🏾‍♀️
sankofayogacenter.com/trainings

Someday We'll All Be Free - Donny Hathaway

Songwriter wrote it for him in hopes it would encourage him while dealing with schizophrenia.

Came on here to look for @drkalyncoghill.bsky.social cuz I I’ve been sending them Maya Angelou audio messages and they haven’t responded 😩

It was created by a brilliant MacArthur fellow who also developed a program with Fisk University that prepared scores of students who went on to PhDs in astrophysics. They have just lost critical funding.

“You know that you are drinking a cloud; you are drinking the rain. The tea contains the whole universe.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh

#tea #oolong #yixingteapot #tealover #teaenthusiast #mindfulmoments

Note the decency and humanity in this announcement: “I realize that writing a proposal takes a long time and I’m so sorry we can’t fund your excellent work anymore.” This is the essence of NEH’s ODH. Thank you @brettbobley.bsky.social and @jenserventi.bsky.social

Letter from the editor- Issue 59 Freddie Gray’s death, the Uprising that followed, and the city’s response to police violence deeply altered the way I thought about journalism. I felt pushed to think seriously about the way class com...

“Freddie Gray’s death, the Uprising that followed, and the city’s response to police violence deeply altered the way I thought about journalism,” Editor-in-Chief Lisa Snowden writes in her letter.

baltimorebeat.com/letter-from-...

This bar graph is an example of why no one should be cutting math and science programs—even this humanist can see that.

This tracks. Check the president’s time as president of University of Cincinnati and read what happened during BLM. The Irate 8 will tell you all you need to know.

We, more than 250 University of Michigan Law School alumni, write to express our shock and disappointment regarding both the University’s termination of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (commonly referred to as “DEI”) initiatives and the Law School’s tepid response to this decision. While the Law School has stated that it does not expect this decision to affect its educational offerings, we respectfully—and strongly—disagree. The decision to end all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives does not simply shutter offices, terminate employees without cause, and place student scholarships at risk (reason enough to resist the decision), but also signals to the world that Michigan no longer welcomes the Leaders & Best. Across the country, both the legal profession and the rule of law are being eroded every day. Few institutions are as well-resourced as Michigan, yet many with far less are fighting much harder to preserve democratic ideals and protect the public. As one of the top public universities in the country, Michigan owes it to its students, faculty, and community to resist all attacks that are not justified by law or fact. In turn, the Law School has its own responsibility to protect and defend the rule of law, due in no small part to its expertise, institutional standing, ethical obligations, and reputation for academic excellence. University President Santa Ono’s decision to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the University of Michigan is an affirmative choice to contribute to the hostility and fear currently being experienced by people of color (particularly Black, brown, and Native people), LGBTQ+ people (especially those who are trans*), immigrants and their children, and those who live at the intersection of these identities. Many of us count ourselves members of these groups. Many of us went to law school to be better equipped to fight for their—our—dignity.

All of us are stunned that the decision to terminate all diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at Michigan may now put us at odds with the very institution that empowered us to fight injustice and taught us respect for the rule of law. As alumni and attorneys, we expect the Law School to recognize that the executive orders and Dear Colleague Letter that President Ono cited in his decision are baseless and morally abhorrent. In particular, the Dear Colleague Letter incorrectly indicates that the Supreme Court held in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (“SFFA”) that schools cannot consider race in any aspect of education. This is patently false. Chief Justice John Roberts was explicit in limiting the decision to admissions, noting that it does not “prohibit[] universities from considering an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life.” After the decision was issued, President Ono acknowledged SFFA’s limitations, issuing a statement that SFFA “significantly narrow[s] how race can be considered in admissions policies.” In that same statement, President Ono reaffirmed the University’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Now, less than two years later, and despite the fact that the University submitted an amicus brief in SFFA supporting the consideration of race in admissions, President Ono has reversed course with apparent ease. Rather than fight back against attempts to bully and extract compliance, the University has preemptively capitulated. This preemptive capitulation is all the more shameful given Michigan’s public education commitment, vast resources, and history of successfully defending the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The University of Michigan is first and foremost a public education institution, whose mission should include a commitment to serve the public.

For ten years, the Law School spoke with pride of its success in defending its affirmative action policies in Grutter v. Bollinger, using this case as evidence of Michigan’s expertise at using its immense resources for the benefit of Michigan students and the public. However, this expertise matters only if we call upon it in times of strife and struggle. The Law School recently failed to openly condemn attacks on the rule of law. On March 26, 2025, deans from 79 law schools signed a letter reaffirming the Constitution and condemning attempts to punish lawyers simply because of who they represent. Notably absent from the signatories were the deans from all top ten law schools, including the University of Michigan Law School. The American Bar Association and bar associations across the country have also issued strong reminders about our nation’s democratic principles and the importance of the rule of law. In contrast, the silence from our alma mater is deafening. To continue recruiting the Leaders & Best, the Law School must first step up and be one. It is no secret that institutions of higher education are currently facing unprecedented external threats, forcing them to reconsider how to best serve their students. But the University should exercise courage in the face of fear, if for no other reason than because capitulation invites further attack. In the days since President Ono announced his decision, current Michigan law students have been individually targeted by external agitators, causing fear and confusion. These students need support and guidance, and that should come from Michigan itself. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the world are watching to see how the University and the Law School respond to this moment. To date, that response has fallen short.

Over 280 alumni of University of Michigan Law School (with signatories still incoming), in class years ranging from the 1970s to the 2020s, from all over the US and all corners of the legal profession, stand up for the values and legacy of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Michigan. Our letter:

WHO at FedEx/Kinko’s was a part of this?!??? #rhoa

The National Park Service has restored the changes to its website about the Underground Railroad following public outcry www.nps.gov/subjects/und...

Ohhh! Cuz you said puppy & I’m over here like, “you got a new puppy?”

As an independent artist, shouldn’t nobody be asking you about the guest list unless the shit is sold out.

As somebody who has audacity to try and “guest list” their way into an indie artists’ show, why did you drag your feet to purchase a ticket?

Now look, you gotta travel to a city NEAR you. 🚗🚂✈️

Who?

Obama: Imagine if I had done any of this. Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials. Imagine if I had said to law firms that you will not be allowed into government buildings.

It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me

THIS IS TERRIFYING‼️

Dr. Peter Marks, former head of vaccines at the FDA, just had his last day—forced to resign or be fired because he wouldn’t lie about vaccines.

He gives a chilling warning: the U.S. is unprepared for biowarfare—because the response team has been gutted.

This is how we resist.

Why is Camille suddenly wide awake asking for Sesame Street like it’s prime time?

🚨UPDATE: Rümeysa Öztürk has now suffered three separate asthma attacks while in DHS custody.

She has not received her required asthma medications—a violation of her fundamental right to medical care.

This is cruelty, it is neglect, and it is a damning moral and legal failure.

Get Still. Breathe. Listen.

#soundhealing #soundbath #mindfulness #meditation #wednesdaywisdom

Read this book. It's brilliant and vital. I've read it 3 times cover to cover...

Smokin’ cigarettes and beautiful

Looking forward to this talk I’ll be doing at my Alma mater Old Dominion University later this month! Hope to see some familiar faces there! Fun fact— this is my third year speaking at ODU but my first time speaking post doctorate degree! #GoMonarchs C/O 2013 💙🤍🩶

YouTube video by Senator Cory Booker Live: Speaking on Trump, Musk, and America’s Moral Moment on the Senate Floor | Senator Cory Booker

In 1957, Strom Thurmond held the Senate for 24 hours and 18 minutes to block the passage of a Civil Rights bill.

In 2025, Cory Booker held the Senate for 24 hours and >19+ minutes to defend freedom & democracy.

Courage over fear; liberty over tyranny. #goodtrouble www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ut...

I miss my boy, Chance. It’s been seven months without him. Here he is in his regalia when we both earned our PhDs. He was my research assistant.

I Want You
My Baby