Jamila Michener
@povertyscholar.bsky.social
Prof @Cornell studying: power, organizing, poverty, racism, policy (health & housing)|Author|Builder|Leader|Believer
More here: www.jamilamichener.com
More here: www.jamilamichener.com
Check out this great write up on #UncivilDemocracy from @cape-team.bsky.social. It concisely but aptly captures core takeaways from the book 🎯
Fantastic new #APE book by @povertyscholar.bsky.social and @profsorelle.bsky.social on #housing, #tenantorganizing, and the limitations of the American civil justice system!
www.americanpoliticaleconomy.org/post/uncivil...
www.americanpoliticaleconomy.org/post/uncivil...
Uncivil Democracy: Jamila Michener and Mallory SoRelle Rethink Civil Justice in America | Consortium on the American Political Economy
Michener and SoRelle challenge us to look beyond the formal rights and to see the "uncivil" reality of how law actually works for most Americans
www.americanpoliticaleconomy.org
January 30, 2026 at 12:12 AM
Check out this great write up on #UncivilDemocracy from @cape-team.bsky.social. It concisely but aptly captures core takeaways from the book 🎯
The dystopian realities of the moment make it hard to see a path towards a better future. But we must insist on imagining & illuminating that path. The Futures Forum is a new space to dream, reflect, & envision better futures. Check it out👇🏾
equitablefutures.cornell.edu/introducing-...
equitablefutures.cornell.edu/introducing-...
Introducing the Futures Forum: A Place to Envision Equitable and Just Futures - Center for Racial Justice and Equitable Futures
In a time of deep inequality and uncertainty, imagining equitable and just futures is both urgent and unfinished work. This post introduces the Futures Forum, a new space created by the Center for Rac...
equitablefutures.cornell.edu
January 28, 2026 at 7:20 PM
The dystopian realities of the moment make it hard to see a path towards a better future. But we must insist on imagining & illuminating that path. The Futures Forum is a new space to dream, reflect, & envision better futures. Check it out👇🏾
equitablefutures.cornell.edu/introducing-...
equitablefutures.cornell.edu/introducing-...
Reposted by Jamila Michener
Just a reminder this is happening tomorrow! You still have time to register if you want to join in the conversation with @povertyscholar.bsky.social and I about #peoplepower #accesstojustice #housing #tenantorganizing
Come join us January 28th @ 3:30pm on Zoom for a great conversation about @povertyscholar.bsky.social's and my new book, Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power!
#peoplepower #accesstojustice #housing #tenantorganizing
Register using the QR code below 👇👇👇
#peoplepower #accesstojustice #housing #tenantorganizing
Register using the QR code below 👇👇👇
January 27, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Just a reminder this is happening tomorrow! You still have time to register if you want to join in the conversation with @povertyscholar.bsky.social and I about #peoplepower #accesstojustice #housing #tenantorganizing
January 21, 2026 at 1:40 AM
A book never feels real until you hold it in you hands. @profsorelle.bsky.social & I can now confirm that Uncivil Democracy is real! If you care about #peoplepower #housingjustice, #tenantorganizing & transforming our perverse political economy, this is a book for you.
Order here: bit.ly/3NLYCCw
Order here: bit.ly/3NLYCCw
January 16, 2026 at 6:40 PM
A book never feels real until you hold it in you hands. @profsorelle.bsky.social & I can now confirm that Uncivil Democracy is real! If you care about #peoplepower #housingjustice, #tenantorganizing & transforming our perverse political economy, this is a book for you.
Order here: bit.ly/3NLYCCw
Order here: bit.ly/3NLYCCw
My 15 year old just texted me this TikTok video and told me that “this is our geopolitical situation right now.” I both love that he’s politically astute and hate that this is the world he has to grow up in.
January 4, 2026 at 9:09 PM
My 15 year old just texted me this TikTok video and told me that “this is our geopolitical situation right now.” I both love that he’s politically astute and hate that this is the world he has to grow up in.
As of today, I am a FULL professor. I do not care much for occupational status markers. Still, it is not lost on me that only 2% of full professors are Black women. This goes beyond personal accomplishment. It is a responsibility to do as much as I can for others. That is exactly what I aim to do.
January 1, 2026 at 9:09 PM
As of today, I am a FULL professor. I do not care much for occupational status markers. Still, it is not lost on me that only 2% of full professors are Black women. This goes beyond personal accomplishment. It is a responsibility to do as much as I can for others. That is exactly what I aim to do.
Reposted by Jamila Michener
I wrote about Yglesias “defending liberalism” by joining a right wing moral panic over critical race theory. His vision of liberalism has room for bigots, but no room for scholars concerned about structural racism.
"Yglesias claims to think “rights are good,” but would have us ignore how neutral rules can be used to deny people their rights. Earlier this month, the Trump Department of Justice issued a memo that follows from Yglesias’s reasoning" www.liberalcurrents.com/a-tent-big-e...
A Tent Big Enough for Bigots but Too Small for Critical Race Theory
Like so many of critical race theory's detractors, Matthew Yglesias fails to engage with the actual scholarship.
www.liberalcurrents.com
December 16, 2025 at 1:50 PM
I wrote about Yglesias “defending liberalism” by joining a right wing moral panic over critical race theory. His vision of liberalism has room for bigots, but no room for scholars concerned about structural racism.
A must read from @neillewisjr.bsky.social, a scholar and friend I constantly learn from.
1/4. The U.S. continues to be a place where people’s life experiences and outcomes differ dramatically by social positioning. How does that affect the way people make meaning of what is happening around them? Those questions guided this new paper. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
December 11, 2025 at 1:46 AM
A must read from @neillewisjr.bsky.social, a scholar and friend I constantly learn from.
So many things happening, I nearly missed the @newrepublic.com piece I was quoted in last week. It raises the possibility of continued political threats to SNAP, underscoring a point I make often: the best way to politically protect the safety net is to build the power of those who rely on it.
November 23, 2025 at 6:25 PM
So many things happening, I nearly missed the @newrepublic.com piece I was quoted in last week. It raises the possibility of continued political threats to SNAP, underscoring a point I make often: the best way to politically protect the safety net is to build the power of those who rely on it.
Reposted by Jamila Michener
" @povertyscholar.bsky.social said that losing food benefits is not only a crisis in itself, but it can lead to other crises...'Crises tend to cascade and compound...As this happens, people are less likely to vote.”
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
How a loss of public benefits harms democracy - Salon.com
When public programs like SNAP are cut, voter turnout historically declines
www.salon.com
November 11, 2025 at 1:24 AM
" @povertyscholar.bsky.social said that losing food benefits is not only a crisis in itself, but it can lead to other crises...'Crises tend to cascade and compound...As this happens, people are less likely to vote.”
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
www.salon.com/2025/11/08/h...
Happening today @1pm ET. Join the discussion if you're able! I'll be starting things off with grounding thoughts on Medicaid & structural racism. The conversation to follow will center on strategies community-based orgs can take to keep folks on Medicaid.
meetattheintersection.org/a-crucial-mo...
meetattheintersection.org/a-crucial-mo...
A Crucial Moment for Medicaid: How to Help – The Intersection Where Anti-Racism and Healthcare Meet
meetattheintersection.org
October 16, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Happening today @1pm ET. Join the discussion if you're able! I'll be starting things off with grounding thoughts on Medicaid & structural racism. The conversation to follow will center on strategies community-based orgs can take to keep folks on Medicaid.
meetattheintersection.org/a-crucial-mo...
meetattheintersection.org/a-crucial-mo...
I am grateful to work alongside colleagues in the health/public health space who are intentional about building our power as academics in service of advancing health equity. We are the Health and Power Organizing Project (HPOP). Read our AJPH paper here: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/...
Why Building Power Is Key to Protecting Academic Public Health and Advancing Health Equity | AJPH | Vol. 115 Issue 11
American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) from the American Public Health Association (APHA)
ajph.aphapublications.org
October 9, 2025 at 9:55 PM
I am grateful to work alongside colleagues in the health/public health space who are intentional about building our power as academics in service of advancing health equity. We are the Health and Power Organizing Project (HPOP). Read our AJPH paper here: ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/...
Reposted by Jamila Michener
Super excited for this discussion on the structural determinants of health, moderated by Paula Braveman. A powerhouse panel - @tyson-brown.bsky.social @povertyscholar.bsky.social and Jonathan Heller
Join us for a Milbank Quarterly webinar on defining the structural determinants of health on Thursday, October 23 from 12-1pm ET
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...
Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Milbank Quarterly Webinar: Understanding the Structural Determinants of Health. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the w...
Structural determinants of health are hierarchical patterns of advantage among socially constructed groups that affect health. Unlike social determinants of health, the structural determinants of heal...
us02web.zoom.us
October 7, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Super excited for this discussion on the structural determinants of health, moderated by Paula Braveman. A powerhouse panel - @tyson-brown.bsky.social @povertyscholar.bsky.social and Jonathan Heller
My book w/@profsorelle.bsky.social will be out in January! These ideas have brewed since I interned at Queens Legal Services 20 years ago. The book is for anyone who cares about people, justice, power & democracy. Much more to share more in the coming months!
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Uncivil Democracy
How the civil legal system undermines the political lives of marginalized communities
press.princeton.edu
September 22, 2025 at 2:59 PM
My book w/@profsorelle.bsky.social will be out in January! These ideas have brewed since I interned at Queens Legal Services 20 years ago. The book is for anyone who cares about people, justice, power & democracy. Much more to share more in the coming months!
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
Reposted by Jamila Michener
For the #EGEssaySeries, @povertyscholar.bsky.social points to how forces fueling right-wing populism are evident in the housing market and how tenant organizing can be powerful for creating better economic policies and strengthening U.S. democracy.
Read more 🔗: equitablegrowth.org/housing-inse...
Read more 🔗: equitablegrowth.org/housing-inse...
September 4, 2025 at 7:01 PM
For the #EGEssaySeries, @povertyscholar.bsky.social points to how forces fueling right-wing populism are evident in the housing market and how tenant organizing can be powerful for creating better economic policies and strengthening U.S. democracy.
Read more 🔗: equitablegrowth.org/housing-inse...
Read more 🔗: equitablegrowth.org/housing-inse...
Medicaid turned 60 this week! My piece in Health Affairs Forefront argues that its future "hinges on who has the power to direct its course." Building & organizing power among Medicaid beneficiaries is the path towards transformative change. Read more here 👇🏾
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
The Future Of Medicaid And The Imperative Of Organized Power | Health Affairs Forefront
Though Medicaid saves lives and provides access to health care for millions of people, it has been constrained by the top-down power relations that structure it.
www.healthaffairs.org
July 31, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Medicaid turned 60 this week! My piece in Health Affairs Forefront argues that its future "hinges on who has the power to direct its course." Building & organizing power among Medicaid beneficiaries is the path towards transformative change. Read more here 👇🏾
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Me & @joanalker1.bsky.social on @npr.org's "It's Been a Minute" talking about the erroneous stereotypes that drive Medicaid cuts & the fundamental connections between all of us. When we harm those whom government deems "underserving," we ultimately harm everyone.
www.npr.org/2025/07/04/1...
www.npr.org/2025/07/04/1...
Think the Medicaid cuts don't affect you? Think again. : It's Been a Minute
Republicans have passed President Trump's One Big, Beautiful bill, but is it built on bad faith stereotypes? The legislation guts funding for Medicaid, and for a long time Republicans have been attack...
www.npr.org
July 4, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Me & @joanalker1.bsky.social on @npr.org's "It's Been a Minute" talking about the erroneous stereotypes that drive Medicaid cuts & the fundamental connections between all of us. When we harm those whom government deems "underserving," we ultimately harm everyone.
www.npr.org/2025/07/04/1...
www.npr.org/2025/07/04/1...
July 4th has never resonated. Too many people remained unfree after the U.S. declared independence & too many would be made unfree as a result of that declaration. Today, as so many devastatingly harmful policies unfold, charting a course towards freedom is unfinished work that depends on us.
July 4, 2025 at 2:18 PM
July 4th has never resonated. Too many people remained unfree after the U.S. declared independence & too many would be made unfree as a result of that declaration. Today, as so many devastatingly harmful policies unfold, charting a course towards freedom is unfinished work that depends on us.
*Update: Deep thanks to those who shared links, contacts, & encouragement. My brother helped find this family temporary housing. The road ahead for them will be hard. For low-income people, being evicted in NYC means navigating a confusing maze of programs that too often demoralize & discourage.
I don’t normally do this but I am posting w/an ask today. Please read the thread 🧵
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
July 4, 2025 at 1:25 PM
*Update: Deep thanks to those who shared links, contacts, & encouragement. My brother helped find this family temporary housing. The road ahead for them will be hard. For low-income people, being evicted in NYC means navigating a confusing maze of programs that too often demoralize & discourage.
I don’t normally do this but I am posting w/an ask today. Please read the thread 🧵
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
July 3, 2025 at 1:37 PM
I don’t normally do this but I am posting w/an ask today. Please read the thread 🧵
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
My brother took in the family from the apartment across the hall from him last night. They were evicted w/ their 4-month-old. My brother, who has few resources of his own, could not bear to see them on the street.
Reposted by Jamila Michener
Sadly, must share this again today: Most. People. Don’t. Want. Medicaid. Cuts. And as @povertyscholar.bsky.social and I argue, there could (should) be political repercussions for this undemocratic act.
In a new Milbank Quarterly guest Opinion, @povertyscholar.bsky.social &
@sarahgollust.bsky.social share public attitudes toward Congress’s proposed Medicaid funding cuts reported in their April 2025 survey.
@sarahgollust.bsky.social share public attitudes toward Congress’s proposed Medicaid funding cuts reported in their April 2025 survey.
Medicaid Cuts Are Undemocratic and Not What the American People Want | Milbank Memorial Fund
Americans from across the political spectrum oppose cuts to Medicaid, believe that the program is effective, and are willing to take steps to defend Medicaid.
www.milbank.org
July 2, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Sadly, must share this again today: Most. People. Don’t. Want. Medicaid. Cuts. And as @povertyscholar.bsky.social and I argue, there could (should) be political repercussions for this undemocratic act.
During a bleak time (w/massive Medicaid cuts looming), I'm inspired by ordinary people organizing to fight displacement & harm. As @mperezbrower.bsky.social so powerfully writes, democracy hinges on efforts to "transform how power operates in our community."
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/in-r...
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/in-r...
In Renton, we’re holding officials accountable and upholding democracy | Op-Ed
Renton residents aren’t just trying to stop an expansion plan. We are trying to transform how power operates in our community.
www.seattletimes.com
June 30, 2025 at 6:58 PM
During a bleak time (w/massive Medicaid cuts looming), I'm inspired by ordinary people organizing to fight displacement & harm. As @mperezbrower.bsky.social so powerfully writes, democracy hinges on efforts to "transform how power operates in our community."
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/in-r...
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/in-r...
Though some elected officials are no longer even pretending to represent the preferences of their constituents, it remains important to underscore the gaping chasm between what people want (RE: Medicaid) & what is actually happening. Read our piece for more on this democratic disconnect👇🏾
Jamila Michener (@povertyscholar.bsky.social) and Sarah Gollust's (@sarahgollust.bsky.social) new opinion piece in Milbank argues that the Medicaid cuts being debated by Congress are undemocratic. Across the political spectrum, Americans support Medicaid—and they would act to protect the program.
In a new Milbank Quarterly guest Opinion, @povertyscholar.bsky.social &
@sarahgollust.bsky.social share public attitudes toward Congress’s proposed Medicaid funding cuts reported in their April 2025 survey.
@sarahgollust.bsky.social share public attitudes toward Congress’s proposed Medicaid funding cuts reported in their April 2025 survey.
June 17, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Though some elected officials are no longer even pretending to represent the preferences of their constituents, it remains important to underscore the gaping chasm between what people want (RE: Medicaid) & what is actually happening. Read our piece for more on this democratic disconnect👇🏾
Looking forward to this discussion today. Join us.
Today at 3pm! Join @povertyscholar.bsky.social (Cornell), Andrea Campbell (MIT), David Adler (RWJF) and me for a webinar on Medicaid's past, present and future at a critical moment in the program's trajectory. Event reg below. 1/2 @rwjf.bsky.social @watsoninstitute.bsky.social @jhppl.bsky.social
It is a hard, but important time to be thinking and talking collectively about Medicaid. Join us next week (June 12th) for a historically grounded, future facing discussion.
June 12, 2025 at 12:34 PM
Looking forward to this discussion today. Join us.