Dr. Augusta Atinuke Irele

Thanks, Christen. 💚 That's exactly how I've been thinking about him this past week. We were lucky to have had him, and now the loss is so very palpable

A picture of the late Marxist Nigerian literary academic, Dr. Biodun Jeyifo, addressing someone off-camera. He is sitting in a leather chair against a dark brown background. His hand is open in a gesture in front of his chest.

A screenshot of two citations in a bibliography. One of an article written by Augusta Irele and the second entry by Prof Biodun Jeyifo

Rest well, Uncle BJ. Thank you 💚

Do Not Be Cynical About Jesse Jackson He was never the caricature his critics wanted him to be.

Despite the caricature his critics created, Jesse Jackson’s “political vision was always inclusive, always multiracial, and always opposed to bigotry and prejudice of all kinds,” Adam Serwer argues.

I know the reunion between him, my dad, and my uncle was loud and sweet. I miss them all acutely in a way that compounds. I am also so, so grateful to Uncle BJ for the way he poured into us all. He was so important to us Ireles. A model I aim to emulate in many ways.

For the past week, my grief has also been intertwined with deep gratitude for the cornerstone position Uncle BJ held in the village that raised us. I recently stumbled upon a dissertation that cited the two of us. There was Uncle BJ, in the bibliography next to me. He had my back, as always.

When I was young, he gifted me a set of The Lord of the Rings books that I still count as one of my most treasured possessions. I aunty the way I do because of how Uncle BJ uncled me. He listened to us, he saw us, he loved us. He was always there. And now he's gone.

When he eventually moved next door, it made so much sense. He was a classmate of my dad's younger brother. He'd been the witness at my parents' wedding. When we said goodbye to my dad in the hospital, Uncle BJ was there with us. He made logistical decisions alongside us. He called my dad "ẹgbọn"

Though for a long time he lived quite far, Uncle BJ was ever present. From the late 80s until the early-aughts, the friendship was long-distance, though you'd never tell. We saw him so often, it was hard for me to understand that we weren't actually related.

To me and my sisters, though, for our entire lives, he was "Uncle BJ," our parents' pipe-smoking (he quit, eventually), corduroy-and-khaki-loving, harmonica-playing, most consistent, dear, dear friend. We loved Uncle BJ. Whenever he was around, you were guaranteed to laugh loudly, often in shock

If my father was the doyen (godfather) of African literature, Prof Jeyifo was its moral compass and backbone. His sharp intellect and astute perspective led to his impressive career. He's often mentioned for his expertise in Wole Soyinka's work, but that is only the tip of his intellectual iceberg.

Last Wednesday, news broke that Prof Biodun Jeyifo, one of Nigeria's "brightest literary minds" (Vanguard NG) passed away in Ibadan at 80 years old. Just over a month before, he'd attended a symposium in his honor, at which he was able to hear and reflect on his impact in African Studies.

Ohio State Chase Center professor placed on administrative leave after assaulting cameraman The Ohio political blog, The Rooster, published video showing Chase Center Assistant Professor Luke Perez hitting a cameraman and then throwing him to the ground.

A "professor of civics education" at OSU's much ballyhooed intellectual diversity center (funded by McCarthyites, of course) punches documentarian who deigns to ask Gordon Gee a single question.

The ironist who coded this simulation has no sense of subtlety.

Renowned scholar Biodun Jeyifo dies at 80 The Nigerian Academy of Letters expressed condolences to his family and the academic community, describing his passing as a significant loss to literary scholarship in Nigeria and beyond.

I am devastated.

I may have more words later, but for those of us who knew him personally, this loss hurts so much.

www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainmen...

Current status of the fundraisers for those killed by ICE:
Renee Good: $1,499,580
Alex Pretti: $1,289,249
Keith Porter, Jr. $302,423
Parady La: $45,848
Heber Sanchez Dominguez: $47,991
Luis Beltrán Yanez Cruz: $18,640
Victor Manuel Diaz: $2,538
Geraldo Lunas: $2,260
Luis Gustavo Núñez: $1,935

THE RULES OF #BOOKSKY 📚💙

1) self promotional posts may not outnumber your other posts to the feed

2) all posts must be about books

Looking forward to the day when we win hard enough to not need articles like “what are the paramilitaries spraying at you?: a helpful guide”

The Washington Post published a clear video of federal agents removing Alex Pretti's handgun moments before he was fatally shot. There's nothing in the video to suggest Pretti even reached for his weapon.

wapo.st/49Zqv1L

People are right to be incensed, but there are more names to uplift. ICE killed an immigrant man named Silverio Villegas González in Chicagoland. He had children. Victor Manuel Diaz was kidnapped in Minneapolis and died in ICE custody on January 14. Their names deserve to be repeated, too.

Post Parting Depression Looming cuts at The Washington Post threaten to decimate key coverage areas as staffers question the motives and commitment of billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.

“Multiple people familiar with the matter said The Post is planning to shutter a majority of the paper’s international bureaus, dramatically reducing the number of reporters stationed abroad.”
Devastating if this comes to pass.

www.status.news/p/washington...

The majority of organizing happening in Minnesota isn’t just peaceful, it’s INVISIBLE. Moms showing up who won’t be interviewed on TV, people whose ICE patrols don’t turn into viral video. The grocery runs, the donations, the people filming bc they happen to be there. Please remember this.

Anyone else get got by the Book Outlet winter sale? No? Just @heyitsaugusta.bsky.social? Cool cool cool.

Welp. It's snowing heavily outside. So, it's time for a #BookHaul. Come see what was in this month's book mail!

#BookSky #BlackBookSky #SpecsNTexts

www.instagram.com/reel/DT8j45i...

The WNBA players have never backed down from taking a stand. Love to see it.

I have reached the "purge old blazers from closet" stage of the holiday grey period. Maybe I should go back to work tomorrow, otherwise, I fear I will rid myself of my entire wardrobe...

I know this isn't the point, but those Cameroonian AFCON kits are 🔥🔥🔥

Poverty is a policy choice. Concentrated wealth is a policy choice. Inequality is a policy choice. None of it is natural or inevitable. Remember: We have the power to build a system that serves the many, not the powerful few.

So, like, if I *were* to start a substack for real, what would y'all wanna read about?

Firm reminder: We live in community with children, not above them.

Well, that happened fast! Kudos to South Africa for that goal. Wow.

#Afcon2025

Not to be controversial but I think we should use tools and resources to make people's lives less miserable instead of more

“The deep critical thinker has become the misfit of the world, this is not a coincidence.

“To maintain order and control you must isolate the intellectual, the sage, the philosopher, the savant before their ideas awaken people.”

— Carl Jung

#philosophy #scholars #education #Writing #QOTD