Carole V. Bell
@cvbell.bsky.social
🇯🇲Culture critic, media & politics prof and researcher. I 💙 Art & Democracy. Writing: NPR, Boston Globe, IndieWire, LATimes, NYTimes, Washington Post, Oprah Daily, The Emancipator, Kirkus and BookPage. UNC J-School PhD. Linktr.ee/Cvbell
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Carole V. Bell
@cvbell.bsky.social
· Oct 9
How a YA Write r Tackles Tough Themes for Teens | Kirkus Reviews
Amber McBride says she approaches YA novels with a different level of empathy for her readers.
www.kirkusreviews.com
I spoke with the brilliant Amber McBride about her National Book Award shortlisted novel The Leaving Room and how a cadre of superstar Black women propelled her when she needed it most.
How a YA Writer Tackles Tough Themes for Teens (my first Kirkus byline):
www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-fea...
How a YA Writer Tackles Tough Themes for Teens (my first Kirkus byline):
www.kirkusreviews.com/news-and-fea...
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 3:25 PM
Supreme Court Denies Request to Revisit Same-Sex Marriage Decision www.nytimes.com/2025/11/10/u...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
What an amazing essay from the former chair of Africana Studies at Bowdoin. I'll share a few sections in the reply but seriously, read the whole thing. It's all insightful and beautifully written.
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:11 PM
What an amazing essay from the former chair of Africana Studies at Bowdoin. I'll share a few sections in the reply but seriously, read the whole thing. It's all insightful and beautifully written.
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
The solidarity and pride of the laborers I grew up around was real and important. The whitewashing is the lie.
November 10, 2025 at 1:00 PM
The solidarity and pride of the laborers I grew up around was real and important. The whitewashing is the lie.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
November 10, 2025 at 1:49 AM
The average SNAP benefit per month is $177 a person.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
The average ACA benefit per month is up to $550 a person.
People want us to hold the line for a reason. This is not a matter of appealing to a base. It’s about people’s lives.
And working people want leaders whose word means something to them.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Unfortunately still true bsky.app/profile/adam...
American politics makes a lot more sense when you realize that the GOP is afraid of pissing off the GOP base, and the Dems are afraid of pissing off the GOP base, but neither party is afraid of pissing off the Dem base.
November 10, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Unfortunately still true bsky.app/profile/adam...
If your patriotism relies on racial exclusion, it’s a problem. Labor Department social media campaign depicts an all White male workforce .
“The point of this is to recapture a sense of social and national solidarity that’s been lost over the past generation”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
November 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
If your patriotism relies on racial exclusion, it’s a problem. Labor Department social media campaign depicts an all White male workforce .
“The point of this is to recapture a sense of social and national solidarity that’s been lost over the past generation”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Furloughed federal employee here. The last time I got a full paycheck was September 26. Sure, I'd love to get paid again. That would be great. But not at the expense of people staring at huge hikes in their health insurance premiums. No way. Fix health care first.
November 9, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Furloughed federal employee here. The last time I got a full paycheck was September 26. Sure, I'd love to get paid again. That would be great. But not at the expense of people staring at huge hikes in their health insurance premiums. No way. Fix health care first.
40 men Trump sent to CECOT tell the NYT they were beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
‘You Are All Terrorists’: Four Months in a Salvadoran Prison
www.nytimes.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:11 AM
40 men Trump sent to CECOT tell the NYT they were beaten, tortured, and sexually assaulted.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/w...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Oh yes, definitely. We have solar power and we had power throughout the storm when our neighbours had none for several days ( we don’t sell it back to the grid). More people are getting solar, it’s true - although the cost is higher than it should be. It’s definitely catching on, though.
November 8, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Oh yes, definitely. We have solar power and we had power throughout the storm when our neighbours had none for several days ( we don’t sell it back to the grid). More people are getting solar, it’s true - although the cost is higher than it should be. It’s definitely catching on, though.
A Jamaican diplomat admired by those who knew her. Now gone too soon. Jamaica Gleaner: share.google/6vciQbcJQBiu...
Alsion Roach-Wilson, who rose from homelessness to lead Jamaica’s diplomatic mission in New York, has died
Jamaica’s diplomatic community is mourning the passing of Alsion Roach-Wilson, Consul General to New York, who died on Saturday at her home. Foreign Affairs Minister Kamina Johnson Smith confirmed her passing, describing her as a dedicated public...
share.google
November 8, 2025 at 8:44 PM
A Jamaican diplomat admired by those who knew her. Now gone too soon. Jamaica Gleaner: share.google/6vciQbcJQBiu...
Some much needed good news. “Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.” Guft link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/c...
Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.
www.nytimes.com
November 8, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Some much needed good news. “Jamaicans Have Been Turning to Solar Power. It Paid Off After the Storm.” Guft link: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/08/c...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
November 8, 2025 at 12:44 PM
It really is overwhelming. share.google/Wl2YBaRRU85i...
Jamaica's Hurricane Melissa clean-up challenge is 'overwhelming', Sean Paul says
The Grammy-winning reggae singer says the storm was "very frightening, especially for my young kids".
share.google
November 7, 2025 at 7:14 PM
It really is overwhelming. share.google/Wl2YBaRRU85i...
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
"The use of force shocks the conscience."
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Judge Criticizes Immigration Agents in Chicago: ‘Use of Force Shocks the Conscience’
www.nytimes.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM
"The use of force shocks the conscience."
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/u...
FYI. Buses have been free in Chapel Hill and Carrboro North Carolina for over 20 years. See: chapelboro.com/news/news-tr...
Chapel Hill Transit Marks 20th Anniversary of Fare-Free Service - Chapelboro.com
Chapel Hill Transit moved to its fare-free model 20 years ago and continues to explore ways to make transit more accessible and resourceful.
chapelboro.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:04 PM
FYI. Buses have been free in Chapel Hill and Carrboro North Carolina for over 20 years. See: chapelboro.com/news/news-tr...
I genuinely don’t know what to make of this riff. Former mayor Lori Lightfoot is non nonsense with a short natural. Is he mixing her up with another black woman from Chicago like Carol Moseley Braun? What is the point?
Trump on Lori Lightfoot, whose name he can't remember: "The mayor from Chicago. The woman. The one that gets her hair done very expensively, right? Beautiful hair. She's got beautiful, luxurious hair."
November 6, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I genuinely don’t know what to make of this riff. Former mayor Lori Lightfoot is non nonsense with a short natural. Is he mixing her up with another black woman from Chicago like Carol Moseley Braun? What is the point?
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
November 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Beshear: Let me be clear. The president has both the funding and the authority to fund snap during a shutdown. In fact, every other president in every other shutdown has done so. People going hungry in this instance is a choice that this president has made.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
November 5, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
People still matter.
Good morning.
Good morning.
November 5, 2025 at 12:59 PM
People still matter.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
57% of all ad spending by Republicans in the Virginia governors race was on anti trans ads. Just an incredibly mismanaged campaign. Anti-trans politics are a losing issue.
November 5, 2025 at 2:27 AM
57% of all ad spending by Republicans in the Virginia governors race was on anti trans ads. Just an incredibly mismanaged campaign. Anti-trans politics are a losing issue.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
How would you do on the new US citizenship test for naturalising immigrants? 🎁
Quiz: How would you do on the U.S. citizenship test?
Those seeking to become citizens must answer 12 out of 20 questions correctly — without multiple-choice options.
share.inquirer.com
November 5, 2025 at 10:19 AM
How would you do on the new US citizenship test for naturalising immigrants? 🎁
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Mamdani reiterates his support for trans folks, his determination to fight "the scourge of antisemitism," and his pledge to fight Islamophobia--and throws a punch at the billionaire-funded campaign of lies against him. "In a time of political darkness, New York will be the light." This is a SPEECH.
November 5, 2025 at 4:36 AM
Mamdani reiterates his support for trans folks, his determination to fight "the scourge of antisemitism," and his pledge to fight Islamophobia--and throws a punch at the billionaire-funded campaign of lies against him. "In a time of political darkness, New York will be the light." This is a SPEECH.
It’s almost like 8 million Americans taking to the streets was a sign.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 4:10 AM
It’s almost like 8 million Americans taking to the streets was a sign.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
Talking to Americans about Islam is my literal life’s work; I’ve been immersed in American attitudes on Islam for almost 20 years.
Mamdani was subjected to some of the worst Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
But his election is also one of the most decisive rejections of Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
Mamdani was subjected to some of the worst Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
But his election is also one of the most decisive rejections of Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Talking to Americans about Islam is my literal life’s work; I’ve been immersed in American attitudes on Islam for almost 20 years.
Mamdani was subjected to some of the worst Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
But his election is also one of the most decisive rejections of Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
Mamdani was subjected to some of the worst Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
But his election is also one of the most decisive rejections of Islamophobia I’ve ever seen.
Reposted by Carole V. Bell
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.
These big wins will embolden Dems to take on Trump's lawbreaking and show there's a price for GOP enabling of him. Folks hate to hear this, but normal patterns are asserting themselves: Liberalism isn't dead, Rs are likely to lose in 2026, and Trump is really unpopular, not a magical exception.
November 5, 2025 at 2:48 AM
The factional grifters will hate this, but the Mamdani-Spanberger-Sherrill axis actually suggests the outlines of a broad, emerging Dem coalition organized around both anti-Trump *and* affordability politics, not a party bitterly divided against itself.