Hakeem Jefferson

Kennedy on U.S. Senate Floor: Americans should know the facts about the coffee they drink YouTube video by Senator John Kennedy

Sen Kennedy used some floor time to tell the American people about the amount of calories and sugar in a caramel macchiato. Just so they’d know what they’re consuming when they enjoy it.

Wonder why they all lost their shit when the Black First Lady made these points?

youtu.be/IICwu8tHdNc?...

Something I wrote during “the reckoning” that feels relevant here:

“Good white people” are still white people
even if they forget,
or want you to forget,
that they are white people.

This is not true—driver’s licenses aren’t acceptable under the SAVE Act without additional proof of citizenship. The fact that they keep doing this sleight of hand should make clear that the SAVE Act is not something that “every American gets”

Guess What Moderate Democratic Voters Aren’t Anymore? Moderate. Two new polls suggest that moderate Democrats, too, want higher taxes on the rich and some measure of economic populism. Moderate isn’t what it was in 1992.

Moderate Democrats with columns in newspapers are constantly saying the Democratic Party is way too liberal on "social" issues. Moderate Democratic voters in real life do not feel this way. With some polling data from @gelliottmorris.com and @dataforprogress.org. newrepublic.com/article/2074...

A contrived “people” without a geography to justify it wants a homeland <—- that’s as dangerous as it gets.

If the government gets to decide if you have them, they're not human rights.

Just insane cruelty.

Hell yeah!

Edsall asked me to quote but mine weren’t included so I’ll poast my response here.

Turnout matters, but isn’t mentioned in the piece. It’s not the same group of voters.

Also see @hakeemjefferson.bsky.social on how black and white people define “I identify as conservative” differently

Insanely good. I want to eat it again right now!

I can’t tell you how f’ing good it was!

And no flour involved. Crispy af! And so moist.

“I am somebody!”

I grew up obsessed with the sound of Black orators whose voices alone felt like they could open heaven, even as they fought to help Black folks find peace here on earth.

Knowing how much Jesse Jackson loved our people taught me to love and struggle for us too.

A true legend.

So easy!

Pound and dry chicken, salt + pepper + garlic powder. Dip in egg and mustard mix, press into crushed pork rinds, rest 5 min.

Pan fry in shallow oil over medium heat, 2–3 min per side. Lemon squeeze.

We used BBQ chicharrón but any works. Smash steamed potatoes in the pan after w/butter.

One flex I remain quite proud of: even after a v long workday, we can still make a restaurant-quality meal at home.

Tonight: chicharrón-encrusted chicken schnitzel, crispy smashed potatoes, & lemon-zested broccoli. Absolutely delicious.

You’ve got to find a way to hold on to joy amidst all this.

Now posted ahead of print:

"Conceptualizing Academic Freedom," forthcoming, Annual Review of Political Science.

(Uncorrected proofs, so a few minor edits different from the version that will be published in June.)

doi.org/10.1146/annu...

Just the motivation I needed to keep my ass in the desk chair revising today!

It’s now official. I’ll be publishing my first book, Respectability Politics, w/ @uchicagopress.bsky.social!

Proud to join a press w/ a strong lineage in Black studies & Black politics, including Cohen’s Boundaries of Blackness, which has deeply inspired my work.

Now to get these revisions done.

The think pieces write themselves. My contribution: this is fucking beautiful, and we should keep fighting for more of this! Everywhere.

This is my America.

crickets from the free speech crowd, of course

I’ve seen commentators ask if two halftime shows mean we’re that polarized. As is often true, this polarization focus misses the mark. It papers over a fight over power, including cultural power, and whether it’s shared w/ppl who look & sound like Bad Bunny or monopolized by folks like Kid Rock.

100% this.

It turns out racists do racist things.

How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated.

This is an excellent, accessible, if long, piece by @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social & @adambonica.bsky.social. Drawing on scientific evidence and ground-truth logic, they dismantle calls for Democratic moderation and prescribe a path that is pragmatic and courageous.

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...

@gelliottmorris.com continues to have been right about immigration as an electoral issue

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...

This set of essays, led by @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social and @adambonica.bsky.social, is really important. Folks should spend time with them.

And their response to the responses reads like two scholars tired of bringing loads of evidence to a fight where some folks are just bringing vibes.

What do we think the GPT prompt for this was?

I also try to impart to students that the goal is not to transcribe texts or seminar discussions but to build a capacity for isolating critical aspects of each.

First day a student asked, “So, you really mean notebooks—like notebooks?”

I said yes, and there has been no mention of it again.

Part of students’ seminar grade is sharing a sample of their notebook so I can see how they’re engaging the material.

Others may have different pedagogical priorities, but I care a lot about developing the capacity to think well and this helps me see how that’s happening.