Rachel Swarns

"That it has gotten so bad in the past should free us of any illusion that it cannot get much worse now. But that it has been successfully defeated in the past — or at least beaten back — should free us from the fatalism that it cannot be beaten back now.”

Ezra Klein summarizes Hahn’s work this way: “Illiberalism is part of the American tradition: Jim Crow. The Red Scare. The internment of Japanese Americans. Operation Wetback…"

Opinion | The Very American Roots of Trumpism

For those of us shaken by the news today and searching for some historical context to make sense of it all, I’m re-listening to this interview with Steven Hahn, the Pulitzer Prize winning historian of Reconstruction and, more recently, the author of Illiberal America.
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/o...

I loved telling this story. It is the story of slavery in the north, too often overlooked, and the story of the unexpected friendship between two women – one Black and one white – who confronted this history together. In these times, that feels like a balm.

That marked the beginning of a journey that has carried Bruno from the archives in upstate New York – where she documented her family’s enslavement of scores of people – to Washington, DC where she finally met a descendant linked to a family her ancestors had enslaved.

She Confronted a History of Enslavers in Her Family. Here’s What Happened.

Debra Bruno loved telling stories about her Dutch ancestors in upstate New York...until a historian told her: “If you have Dutch ancestors in the Hudson Valley, they were probably slave owners.” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u...

Here's your Friday morning dose of fox kit cuteness. Could see this attack coming from a mile away! #wildlife #fox

The Second Emancipation: Nkrumah, Pan-Africanism, and Global Blackness at High Tide by Howard W French In this magisterial account, journalist French (Born in Blackness) revisits the history of the Pan-Africanist movement through t...

I'm excited to be speaking about my forthcoming book, The Second Emancipation, at the Schomburg Library's Centennial Festival tomorrow at 1. www.publishersweekly.com/9781324092452

I loved telling this story. It is the story of slavery in the north, too often overlooked, and the story of the unexpected friendship between two women – one Black and one white – who confronted this history together. In these times, that feels like a balm.

That marked the beginning of a journey that has carried Bruno from the archives in upstate New York – where she documented her family’s enslavement of scores of people – to Washington, DC where she finally met a descendant linked to a family her ancestors had enslaved.

She Confronted a History of Enslavers in Her Family. Here’s What Happened.

Debra Bruno loved telling stories about her Dutch ancestors in upstate New York...until a historian told her: “If you have Dutch ancestors in the Hudson Valley, they were probably slave owners.” www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/u...

RFK Jr. said multiple times during his house and senate hearings today that no scientists have been fired from federal agencies. Our reporting has shown that hundreds, if not thousands, of scientists have been let go from NIH/CDC/FDA

Pope Leo’s Creole Roots Evoke Sense of Connection From Some Catholics of Color

You can read more here www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...

Pope Leo’s ancestors had roots in Black Catholic communities that were deeply impacted by the Church’s involvement in and support of slavery/segregation. That they held on to their faith and worked to make the Church responsive to a diverse flock – and produced our new pope! -- inspire me.

Pope Leo’s Creole Roots Evoke Sense of Connection From Some Catholics of Color

You can read more here www.nytimes.com/2025/05/09/w...

Pope Leo’s ancestors had roots in Black Catholic communities that were deeply impacted by the Church’s involvement in and support of slavery/segregation. That they held on to their faith and worked to make the Church responsive to a diverse flock – and produced our new pope! -- inspire me.

New Pope Has Creole Roots in New Orleans

Fuller story published overnight! www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/u...

White smoke, Black pope? Pope Leo XIV, first American pontiff, has African roots Previously unknown genealogy on the 69-year-old Chicago native was revealed by genealogists shortly after white smoke rose in St. Peter's Square.

www.blackcatholicmessenger.org/pope-leo-xiv...

Hidden legacies! Our new American pope was born in Chicago, but his maternal ancestors were Creoles of color from New Orleans, according to Jari Honora, a genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection. #PopeLeoXIV

It's the story of America that we hold in our genes. ❤️💙

White smoke, Black pope? Pope Leo XIV, first American pontiff, has African roots Previously unknown genealogy on the 69-year-old Chicago native was revealed by genealogists shortly after white smoke rose in St. Peter's Square.

www.blackcatholicmessenger.org/pope-leo-xiv...

Hidden legacies! Our new American pope was born in Chicago, but his maternal ancestors were Creoles of color from New Orleans, according to Jari Honora, a genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection. #PopeLeoXIV

Join us! Hope to see you there!

Thank you for your review and for taking the time to read my book!

Though prolonged incidents of racism can lead to symptoms like those experienced with PTSD, I have heard stories from experts and interviewees that these experiences can also inspire activism and involvement in advocacy and civil rights.

I have interviewed experts who explain that hate crimes instill fear, distrust, and psychological distress within affected communities. This often restricts freedom of movement and social interaction within a community.

The effects of hate crimes are severe for adolescents, with young people experiencing anger, fear, and social withdrawal, studies show. Experts explain that when youths are not in a position to make sense of hate crime experiences, they internalize them in ways that impact their racial identity.

For many Black communities, the trauma of hate crimes does not end when the attack stops. Hate crimes can lead to mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, PTSD, and substance use, according to a 2023 article by the American Psychological Association.

Experts expressed that a community's desire for retaliation can lead to collective action, sometimes in a radical way.

Thank you @rachelswarns.bsky.social! This assignment has taught me a lot about the struggles my community faces.

I found my passion in journalism at 15 after experiencing anti-Asian hate and seeing reporters amplify my voice. Now, victims feel like their stories are not important just because the media moved on. In @rachelswarns.bsky.social’s class, I’m digging into how that silence fuels more hate.