Derek H. Alderman

Honestly, how many places are named after Abe Lincoln? In Michigan, a lot - Bridge Michigan President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, launching a November tradition. It was also tradition to name municipalities, schools and roads after Lincoln.

Communities don’t choose names by accident. Honoring Lincoln is a way for places to weave themselves into a larger American story. Our place names reflect who we elevate, why, & to what political ends. Thanks @bridgemi.com for the interview bridgemi.com/quality-life... @utkgeography.bsky.social

1960s civil rights organization SNCC created innovative power-maps to trace the interconnected nature of institutions, companies, and people supporting racial inequality

@nacis.bsky.social @livingmaps.bsky.social Black communities have long used mapping as a tool to challenge, survive, & transcend racism. The Living Black Atlas celebrates these traditions of protest, care & justice. Watch our new video @notebooklm.bsky.social to learn more tiny.utk.edu/LBAshortvideo

Remapping the Legacy of Enslavement: Street Names, Stealth Stickers, and the Living Black Atlas | Article | Media and Communication Derek H. Alderman, Joshua Inwood

Great new piece with my main writing partner @derekgeographer.bsky.social www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcomm...

PhD Candidate Katrina Stack @katgeographic.bsky.social presented “Remapping Black Paris: Walking Tours as Embodied Archives and Cartographies” at the REP Conference last week in Albuquerque! Her collaborators are her advisor Derek Alderman @derekgeographer.bsky.social and Monique Y. Wells.

Before the American Revolution, Native nations guarded their societies against tyranny Native American communities were elaborate consensus democracies, many of which had survived for generations because of careful attention to checking and balancing power.

Before the American Revolution, Native nations guarded their societies against tyranny
theconversation.com/before-the-a...

The Time That Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Almost Assassinated in St. Augustine, Florida A little known incident that could have changed history.

The Time That Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Almost Assassinated in St. Augustine, Florida. Dr. King said at the time: “We have worked in some difficult communities...but we have never worked in one as lawless as this.” www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/the-time-t...

When it comes to wars − from the Middle East to Ukraine − what we call them matters Convention suggests wars are named after the participants or the place it which fighting takes place. But who chooses − and why?

Great piece on war-naming conventions & the power of language. Timely because of ongoing wars and the renaming of the Defense Dept. The way wars are referred to in the U.S. serves state interests & power rather than necessarily reflects the realities of conflicts. theconversation.com/when-it-come...

"Maps are a form of storytelling, as well as an info source...the lines, colours, symbols &size of regions depicted...communicate social meaning. They subtly but powerfully educate people...about who &what matters"
@jswab.bsky.social & @derekgeographer.bsky.social
theconversation.com/world-maps-g...

World maps get Africa’s size wrong: cartographers explain why fixing it matters Maps help shape how we make sense of the world.

World maps get Africa’s size wrong: cartographers @utkgeography.bsky.social @geographers.bsky.social explain why fixing it matters. Grateful for the talent and collaboration of @jswab.bsky.social theconversation.com/world-maps-g...

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt As many as 10% of enslaved people on St. Croix escaped. Where they went has remained a mystery, but scientists are using new mapping technology to find answers.

Escaped slaves on St. Croix hid their settlements so well, they still haven’t been found – archaeologists using new mapping technology are on the hunt
theconversation.com/escaped-slav...

@geographers.bsky.social @knoxnews.bsky.social @nolanews.bsky.social @americangeo.bsky.social #HurricaneKatrina Tattoos a Form of Coping, Storytelling. Reposting @utknoxville.bsky.social news piece about our NOLA study from several years ago. Might have renewed interest on 20th anniversary of storm.

Lines in the Sand: How Maps Shape Power, Borders, and Belonging - Lab 107 Dope Labs · Episode

open.spotify.com/episode/02Tb... had a great time talking maps, living black atlas and got some Penn State love too @pennstategeography.bsky.social @derekgeographer.bsky.social @tynergeog.bsky.social @geographers.bsky.social

Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much In 2024, one data center in Iowa consumed 1 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the state’s residences with water for five days.

Data centers consume massive amounts of water – companies rarely tell the public exactly how much
theconversation.com/data-centers...

The dark history of forced starvation as a weapon of war against Indigenous peoples An Indigenous scholar explains how starvation was used to acquire the lands of Indigenous peoples. Her great-grandparents experienced ‘starvation winter’ on the Blackfeet reservation.

The dark history of forced starvation as a weapon of war against Indigenous peoples. Knoxville, TN's namesake, Henry Knox, burned down the Wea Tribe's corn fields, uprooted vegetable gardens, chopped down apple orchards, and destroyed their livestock. theconversation.com/the-dark-his...

Minneapolis officials consider renaming Edmund Boulevard for state's first Black woman lawyer The 14-block stretch of road along the Mississippi River is currently named for Edmund Walton, a real estate developer who introduced racially restrictive covenants to Minnesota.

Minneapolis officials consider removing name of segregationist Edmund Boulevard from street, and honoring a civil rights pioneer and state's first Black woman lawyer www.mprnews.org/story/2025/0...

Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia gets a street named after him in San Francisco The dedication, held in the Excelsior, where Jerry Garcia grew up, kicked off a weekend of celebrations including Jerry Day and three Dead & Company concerts in Golden Gate Park.

Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia gets a street named after him in San Francisco. The Place-Making Power of Fandom. Naming ceremony kicked off a weekend of festivities marking the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...

Who Gets to Decide What Names Go on Digital Maps? Recent headlines have drawn attention to naming conventions and mapping technology. But maps have always been political, experts say.

@americangeo.bsky.social @rgsibg.bsky.social @geographers.bsky.social Honored to be interviewed by @sbennettbrandt.bsky.social @afarmedia.bsky.social on consequential social & economic decisions and power struggles that have always undergirded map making & place naming www.afar.com/magazine/how...

Self-censorship and the ‘spiral of silence’: Why Americans are less likely to publicly voice their opinions on political issues Nearly half of Americans say they feel less free to speak their minds.

Burden of self-censorship on political issues felt and seen at America's universities, where faculty do not just deal with individual anxiety of being attacked for expressing their views, but as employees of institutions that would prefer everyone remain quiet
theconversation.com/self-censors...

Jessie Simmons: How a schoolteacher became an unsung hero of the civil rights movement When Jessie Simmons applied for a teaching job in 1958, her application went to a separate file for “Negro teachers” and got rejected. An education scholar recounts how Simmons fought back and won.

Jessie Simmons applied for a teaching job in a Detroit suburb in 1958 and didn't get it.

She was rejected 2 more times in 1959, while the district hired white teachers with less education – but she didn’t give up and got a job offer in ‘67.

A story worth knowing:

The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence A scholar of extremism writes that the use of the term often obscures deeper societal issues such as rising political violence and is dangerously simplistic.

The term ‘lone gunman’ ignores the structures that enable violence. "Politicians are frequently reluctant to acknowledge the ideological underpinnings of such violence, particularly when those ideologies overlap with their own rhetoric or voter base." theconversation.com/the-term-lon...

From Greenland to Fort Bragg, America is caught in a name game where place names become political tools Rewriting the map can influence the public psyche in ways subtle and not so subtle.

@npr.org @apnews.com @cnn.com With Trump vowing to restore Confederate names to all Army bases, place names back in spotlight. Our latest piece @us.theconversation.com unpacks how renaming not just symbolic—it’s a power move w/ educational & ethical consequences. theconversation.com/from-greenla...

‘Who controls the present controls the past’: What Orwell’s ‘1984’ explains about the twisting of history to control the public Donald Trump aims to rewrite America’s official history. George Orwell − who wrote, ‘Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.“ − would recognize that impu...

"Current proponents of “anti-woke” agenda at both the federal and state levels focused on reshaping educational curricula in a way that will make it inconceivable for future generations to question their historical claims." How George Orwell helps explain Trump theconversation.com/who-controls...

From hotspot to flashpoint: how tourism pushed Barcelona to breaking point, and how social movements are fighting back Mass tourism reshapes urban spaces, often at the expense of local communities.

Of possible interest to @tourismgeographies.bsky.social From hotspot to flashpoint: how tourism pushed Barcelona to breaking point, and how social movements are fighting back theconversation.com/from-hotspot...

Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting elite universities The Trump administration’s crusade against antisemitism looks to be mainly about crippling elite universities and blurring the lines between pro-Palestinian activism and antisemitism.

Reducing American antisemitism requires more than condemning opposition to Israel and targeting elite universities. theconversation.com/reducing-ame...

'Bring the wrath': Trump triggers furious reaction with 'Arabian Gulf' plan President Donald Trump reportedly plans to announce during his upcoming trip to the Middle East that the United States will no longer recognize the Persian Gulf, instead renaming it as the "Arabian Gu...

Now Trump trying to rename the Persian Gulf the 'Arabian Gulf.' Iranian-Canadian human rights activist Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay says. "He can spin words and rename bodies of water for political and economic gain but he can’t rewrite 2,500 years of history." www.rawstory.com/trump-arabia...

Gratitude comes with benefits − a social psychologist explains how to practice it when times are stressful Some people are more inclined toward gratitude than others, but there are specific ways that everyone can cultivate more of it.

Gratitude comes with benefits − a social psychologist explains how to practice it when times are stressful. As Senate President @utknoxville.bsky.social, I begin every meeting with gratitude for others to help set a tone for sometimes tough discussions to come. theconversation.com/gratitude-co....

New report from @splcenter.org
shows removing Confederate memorials has slowed. We are also seeing "re-Confederatization" of the contemporary landscape with rollback of commemorative reform against white supremacy--from Sylva NC to Fort Benning GA to Shenandoah County VA wabe.org/new-report-s...

Odessa City Council approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community A major Odessa street will soon carry the name of one of America’s most iconic civil rights leaders.

Odessa, Texas approves MLK Jr. Street renaming in historic community. Past efforts to rename larger portion of street faced opposition. Resident who lived under Jim Crow says the street will be a reminder of how far the community has come and how much work remains.
www.newswest9.com/article/news...

Post-truth politics didn't start w/ Trump 1.0 or 2.0. My paper w/ talented @geogjosh.bsky.social traces how civil rights groups fought racist storytelling long before today's misinformation crisis. Their tactics matter more than ever in an era of weaponized lies www.researchgate.net/publication/...

Harvard Will Not Comply With a List of Trump Administration Demands Federal officials said Harvard must enact “merit-based reform” in hiring and admissions and report international students who broke rules, among other steps. Harvard called the demands unlawful.

Harvard will NOT comply w/ Trump's demands for reduced power of students & faculty members over university’s affairs. NO to immediate federal reporting of international students w/ conduct violations. And NO to bringing in outside party to ensure viewpoint diversity. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/u...