Ava Purkiss
@apurkiss.bsky.social
Historian of Black women/Associate Professor at U-M Ann Arbor/Author of Fit Citizens (UNC Press, 2023)/I study race, gender, health, and the body/Researching U.S. history of gynecology in the 20th century
Pinned
Ava Purkiss
@apurkiss.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Fit Citizens | Ava Purkiss | University of North Carolina Press
At the turn of the twentieth century, as African Americans struggled against white social and political oppression, Black women devised novel approaches to t...
uncpress.org
[*copied from Twitter 4/11/23*] My first book, Fit Citizens, is officially published today!! It chronicles Black women who exercised for health, beauty, leisure, and citizenship. Thank you to all who supported this project, especially UNC Press! See more here: uncpress.org/book/9781469...
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
MOTHER JONES: “You should be paying attention to the race in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district”
November 22, 2025 at 12:54 AM
MOTHER JONES: “You should be paying attention to the race in Tennessee’s 7th congressional district”
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
This is why we need the humanities
November 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
This is why we need the humanities
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
Jamaica could face one of the strongest landfall storms in its recorded history as Hurricane Melissa moves through the Caribbean. Forecasters predict it will hit the island as an “upper-end” Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
October 26, 2025 at 10:39 PM
Jamaica could face one of the strongest landfall storms in its recorded history as Hurricane Melissa moves through the Caribbean. Forecasters predict it will hit the island as an “upper-end” Category 4 hurricane on Tuesday. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
This one's hitting different. I'm sad, I cried, but I'm reacting mostly angrily, like something was stolen from me personally. D'Angelo really got inside of me all those years ago, I dunno. It hurts pretty bad.
October 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
This one's hitting different. I'm sad, I cried, but I'm reacting mostly angrily, like something was stolen from me personally. D'Angelo really got inside of me all those years ago, I dunno. It hurts pretty bad.
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
What D’Angelo said Black Messiah means. It came out at the end of 2014 and it was so needed.
October 14, 2025 at 6:20 PM
What D’Angelo said Black Messiah means. It came out at the end of 2014 and it was so needed.
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
"For many years, American shoppers have been able to buy inexpensive foreign items without paying tariffs and completing complicated customs paperwork.
No more."
No more."
Breaking News: President Trump closed the loophole that allowed shoppers in the U.S. to buy inexpensive foreign items without paying tariffs and completing complicated customs paperwork. Your online shopping cart may soon be affected.
A Tariff Loophole on Cheap Imports Has Closed. How Will It Affect Shoppers?
The end of the “de minimis” exemption — which allowed packages less than $800 to enter the U.S. tariff-free — is leading to confusion.
nyti.ms
August 29, 2025 at 4:37 AM
"For many years, American shoppers have been able to buy inexpensive foreign items without paying tariffs and completing complicated customs paperwork.
No more."
No more."
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
This is terrible.
Scoop from me & @joshkovensky.bsky.social: After receiving a subpoena and being threatened with criminal/civil investigations by Trump's DOJ, the University of Michigan's statewide hospital system will stop providing gender-affirming care to patients under 19
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/univers...
talkingpointsmemo.com/news/univers...
The University of Michigan Will End Gender Affirming Care for Minors Amid Trump Admin Legal Onslaught
The Trump administration has strong-armed the University of Michigan’s statewide hospital system...
talkingpointsmemo.com
August 25, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This is terrible.
“Fibroids impacted my career,” Williams said. “I never had enough energy most times to play a real match the way I wanted to, and, of course, it affected my results.”
I've said this before but man we really need more awareness about fibroids. The level of racism and misogyny Venus had to fight is horrendous. Getting my myomectomy was no picnic but I didn't have to deal with half of what she did.
As a fibroid survivor myself I relate so much to Venus Williams' story. It took me changing physicians twice to get my symptoms taken seriously, and I am a physician! Too many women suffer in silence, esp Black women. Be relentless in advocating for yourself.
www.today.com/health/women...
www.today.com/health/women...
July 4, 2025 at 11:51 PM
“Fibroids impacted my career,” Williams said. “I never had enough energy most times to play a real match the way I wanted to, and, of course, it affected my results.”
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
10 years ago
#tdih 2015, nine African American churchgoers murdered 💔 inside Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in act of white supremacist terrorism, one of countless (ongoing) massacres in the U.S.
Read words of Rev. William Barber & Bree Newsome ⬇️ 🧵
Art by Panhandle Slim
#tdih 2015, nine African American churchgoers murdered 💔 inside Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in act of white supremacist terrorism, one of countless (ongoing) massacres in the U.S.
Read words of Rev. William Barber & Bree Newsome ⬇️ 🧵
Art by Panhandle Slim
June 17, 2015: Charleston Church Massacre
Nine African American churchgoers were gunned down inside a church in an act of white supremacist terrorism.
www.zinnedproject.org
June 17, 2025 at 11:57 AM
10 years ago
#tdih 2015, nine African American churchgoers murdered 💔 inside Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in act of white supremacist terrorism, one of countless (ongoing) massacres in the U.S.
Read words of Rev. William Barber & Bree Newsome ⬇️ 🧵
Art by Panhandle Slim
#tdih 2015, nine African American churchgoers murdered 💔 inside Charleston’s historic Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church in act of white supremacist terrorism, one of countless (ongoing) massacres in the U.S.
Read words of Rev. William Barber & Bree Newsome ⬇️ 🧵
Art by Panhandle Slim
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
When folks can afford fewer things at higher prices, economists describe this as a decline in real income, and a widespread fall in real income is called a recession.
Trump: “Somebody said, ‘Oh the shelves are going to be open.’ Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls. And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple bucks more than they would normally.”
April 30, 2025 at 6:08 PM
When folks can afford fewer things at higher prices, economists describe this as a decline in real income, and a widespread fall in real income is called a recession.
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
By accepting the grant award, recipients are certifying that:
(i) They do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws…
(i) They do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws…
Yesterday the NIH publish new directive- grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-OD-25-090: Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award NOT-OD-25-090. NIH
grants.nih.gov
April 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
By accepting the grant award, recipients are certifying that:
(i) They do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws…
(i) They do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws…
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
Missing grant money? Found it! It looks like the remaining grant funds for FY2025 have been reallocated here.
We have nothing good to say about this.
www.neh.gov/news/neh-ann...
We have nothing good to say about this.
www.neh.gov/news/neh-ann...
NEH Announces Grant Opportunity to Create Statues of Iconic Americans for the National Garden of American Heroes
www.neh.gov
April 24, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Missing grant money? Found it! It looks like the remaining grant funds for FY2025 have been reallocated here.
We have nothing good to say about this.
www.neh.gov/news/neh-ann...
We have nothing good to say about this.
www.neh.gov/news/neh-ann...
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
"This is my radical proposal for universities: Act like universities, not like businesses. Spend your endowments. Accept more...students. Open up your campuses and expand your reach not by buying real estate but by bringing education to communities. Create a base."
"This is my radical proposal for universities: Act like universities, not like businesses. Spend your endowments. Accept more...students. Open up your campuses and expand your reach not by buying real estate but by bringing education to communities. Create a base."
Opinion | This Is How Universities Can Escape Trump’s Trap, if They Dare
It’s been tried in other countries facing authoritarian crackdowns. It works.
www.nytimes.com
April 17, 2025 at 12:31 PM
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/o...
"This is my radical proposal for universities: Act like universities, not like businesses. Spend your endowments. Accept more...students. Open up your campuses and expand your reach not by buying real estate but by bringing education to communities. Create a base."
"This is my radical proposal for universities: Act like universities, not like businesses. Spend your endowments. Accept more...students. Open up your campuses and expand your reach not by buying real estate but by bringing education to communities. Create a base."
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
I wrote about this a bit in my last book but it really shakes me that a defining feature of this catastrophic era is that we just keep going to work. We work through pandemics, we work through natural disasters, we work through economic calamity, we work through coups, we work, we work, we work.
April 9, 2025 at 1:03 PM
I wrote about this a bit in my last book but it really shakes me that a defining feature of this catastrophic era is that we just keep going to work. We work through pandemics, we work through natural disasters, we work through economic calamity, we work through coups, we work, we work, we work.
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
“Whether engaging in political organizing, enhancing economic growth, or serving as a source of relaxation, Black beauty shops have curated a defiant history & unique experience. The women who own & work in these shops have done far more for the advancement of Black communities than meets the eye.”
Black beauticians have always done more than style hair — they’ve built power
Inside their salons, they’ve reshaped what community work looks like, creating spaces for political organizing, economic independence and healing.
19thnews.org
April 7, 2025 at 6:21 PM
“Whether engaging in political organizing, enhancing economic growth, or serving as a source of relaxation, Black beauty shops have curated a defiant history & unique experience. The women who own & work in these shops have done far more for the advancement of Black communities than meets the eye.”
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
New story from me: Imani* was in class when she discovered a scholarship program she relied on had been shut down.
“I don’t come from wealth ... Ending the program puts a burden on individuals who don't have it like most of the wealthy people here at the University of Michigan"
“I don’t come from wealth ... Ending the program puts a burden on individuals who don't have it like most of the wealthy people here at the University of Michigan"
A scholarship program helped boost diversity at U of M. Trump’s DEI crackdown just killed it.
The University of Michigan Alumni Association has ended the LEAD Scholars program, a merit-based scholarship that worked to improve enrollment for minority students.
www.whatimreading.net
March 27, 2025 at 1:55 PM
New story from me: Imani* was in class when she discovered a scholarship program she relied on had been shut down.
“I don’t come from wealth ... Ending the program puts a burden on individuals who don't have it like most of the wealthy people here at the University of Michigan"
“I don’t come from wealth ... Ending the program puts a burden on individuals who don't have it like most of the wealthy people here at the University of Michigan"
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"Fodera, who studies fibroids—non-cancerous growths that affect 70–80% of women by age 50, and can cause severe pain and infertility—is just one of numerous scientists affected by the decision...to cancel $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia."
"Fodera, who studies fibroids—non-cancerous growths that affect 70–80% of women by age 50, and can cause severe pain and infertility—is just one of numerous scientists affected by the decision...to cancel $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia."
‘My career is over’: Columbia University scientists hit hard by Trump team’s cuts
The US government has begun slashing US$400 million in research grants at Columbia University over pro-Palestinian campus protests.
www.nature.com
March 14, 2025 at 11:17 PM
www.nature.com/articles/d41...
"Fodera, who studies fibroids—non-cancerous growths that affect 70–80% of women by age 50, and can cause severe pain and infertility—is just one of numerous scientists affected by the decision...to cancel $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia."
"Fodera, who studies fibroids—non-cancerous growths that affect 70–80% of women by age 50, and can cause severe pain and infertility—is just one of numerous scientists affected by the decision...to cancel $400 million in federal grants and contracts to Columbia."
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
On this day in 2020, Louisville police officers shot and killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor during a no-knock raid in the middle of the night.
Mar. 13, 2020 | Louisville Police Kill Breonna Taylor During Nighttime No-Knock Raid
Learn more about our history of racial injustice.
calendar.eji.org
March 13, 2025 at 1:00 PM
On this day in 2020, Louisville police officers shot and killed 26-year-old Breonna Taylor during a no-knock raid in the middle of the night.
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
"In our roles as editors [we will continue] to do what we think makes a difference: publishing the highest-quality research, analysis, opinion, and educational content that can improve patient health...even when topics are controversial."
"In our roles as editors [we will continue] to do what we think makes a difference: publishing the highest-quality research, analysis, opinion, and educational content that can improve patient health...even when topics are controversial."
Order out of Chaos | NEJM
Eric Rubin comments on the effects of the raft of executive orders from the current administration on scientific research and public health.
www.nejm.org
March 3, 2025 at 10:41 PM
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
"In our roles as editors [we will continue] to do what we think makes a difference: publishing the highest-quality research, analysis, opinion, and educational content that can improve patient health...even when topics are controversial."
"In our roles as editors [we will continue] to do what we think makes a difference: publishing the highest-quality research, analysis, opinion, and educational content that can improve patient health...even when topics are controversial."
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
Interesting and deeply depressing. Only set of physicians who live longer than their non-physician colleagues are...white men. "Black female physicians had higher mortality rates than all other physician subgroups and White females in non–health care occupations" www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...
How Physician Mortality Stacks Up Against the General Population
Lower mortality among U.S. physicians did not extend to women or racial/ethnic minorities
www.medpagetoday.com
February 27, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Interesting and deeply depressing. Only set of physicians who live longer than their non-physician colleagues are...white men. "Black female physicians had higher mortality rates than all other physician subgroups and White females in non–health care occupations" www.medpagetoday.com/publichealth...
Reposted by Ava Purkiss
Great letter from my colleagues @sbagen.bsky.social, @mjschlanger.bsky.social and other legal scholars across the country explaining why it is not necessary to start eliminating university programs because Trump
OGC Memo re Trump DEI and SFFA 2025 02 20.pdf | Powered by Box
app.box.com
February 20, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Great letter from my colleagues @sbagen.bsky.social, @mjschlanger.bsky.social and other legal scholars across the country explaining why it is not necessary to start eliminating university programs because Trump