Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
@profblmkelley.bsky.social
/writer/historian/ph.d./award-winning author of Black Folk/president @natlhumanities /breast cancer survivor/The Oracle
We are honored and thrilled to welcome Dr. Vinson to the Center this year.
Congratulations to Dr. Ben Vinson III on being named the inaugural NHC Presidential Fellow. The Presidential Fellowship recognizes the accomplishments of distinguished scholars and humanities leaders and invites them to participate in the robust intellectual life of the Center. #humanities
Ben Vinson III Appointed as Inaugural Presidential Fellow | National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ben Vinson III as its inaugural Presidential Fellow.
nationalhumanitiescenter.org
November 8, 2025 at 6:01 PM
We are honored and thrilled to welcome Dr. Vinson to the Center this year.
What an amazing and powerful conversation we had @natlhumanities Monday! Building the groundwork!
It was a pleasure to welcome representatives of The NC10 to the Center yesterday to discuss the challenges facing NC-based HBCUs and think about ways to amplify the humanities on their campuses. #humanities
November 5, 2025 at 5:34 AM
What an amazing and powerful conversation we had @natlhumanities Monday! Building the groundwork!
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
Congratulations to Signe Cohen (NHC Fellow, 2025–26) for receiving this honor!
We are thrilled to announce that I, YANTRA by Signe Cohen has been named the Winner of the 2025 Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion: Textual Studies by @aarweb.bsky.social
#WinnerWednesday #ReadUP tinyurl.com/yebmaz3r
#WinnerWednesday #ReadUP tinyurl.com/yebmaz3r
October 28, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Congratulations to Signe Cohen (NHC Fellow, 2025–26) for receiving this honor!
Always a pleasure to speak to Leoneda Inge and the Due South team about Black history!
NHC President and Director @profblmkelley.bsky.social recently appeared on @wunc.org's "Due South" to share insights on the complex history of mutual aid in the US and in the lives of Black Southerners. #Skystorians
The lasting impact of immediate support: mutual aid's mark after Helene and Chantal. Plus, a history of mutual aid among Black Southerners.
“Mutual aid” is a phrase that received renewed attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the U.S. has a long history of mutual aid. Leoneda Inge talks with two scholars. Then, two helpers with Trian...
www.wunc.org
October 29, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Always a pleasure to speak to Leoneda Inge and the Due South team about Black history!
Headed to Atlanta for ASALH. Hoping to see you there!
September 26, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Headed to Atlanta for ASALH. Hoping to see you there!
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
Congratulations to Tressie McMillan Cottom (NHC Fellow, 2025–26), recipient of the 2025 Thomas Wolfe Prize.
As this year’s recipient, Cottom will deliver the annual Thomas Wolfe Lecture on September 30 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
As this year’s recipient, Cottom will deliver the annual Thomas Wolfe Lecture on September 30 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
A tiny announcement about this year’s Thomas Wolfe prize.
englishcomplit.unc.edu/program/wolfe/
Sep. 30.
englishcomplit.unc.edu/program/wolfe/
Sep. 30.
September 23, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Congratulations to Tressie McMillan Cottom (NHC Fellow, 2025–26), recipient of the 2025 Thomas Wolfe Prize.
As this year’s recipient, Cottom will deliver the annual Thomas Wolfe Lecture on September 30 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
As this year’s recipient, Cottom will deliver the annual Thomas Wolfe Lecture on September 30 at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
Did you know 1,783 books have resulted from NHC fellowships?
Over the past five decades, the Center has been privileged to support the work of some of the world’s leading humanists, and to enlist their expertise on behalf of its programs for educators and public #humanities work.
Over the past five decades, the Center has been privileged to support the work of some of the world’s leading humanists, and to enlist their expertise on behalf of its programs for educators and public #humanities work.
September 5, 2025 at 5:30 PM
Did you know 1,783 books have resulted from NHC fellowships?
Over the past five decades, the Center has been privileged to support the work of some of the world’s leading humanists, and to enlist their expertise on behalf of its programs for educators and public #humanities work.
Over the past five decades, the Center has been privileged to support the work of some of the world’s leading humanists, and to enlist their expertise on behalf of its programs for educators and public #humanities work.
We stand with the Smithsonian.
The National Humanities Center stands firmly in support of the Smithsonian Institution, its administration, and its museum professionals. Please read the complete statement on our website.
Statement in Support of the Smithsonian Institution | National Humanities Center
The National Humanities Center stands firmly in support of the Smithsonian Institution, its administration, and its museum professionals. The Smithsonian must be allowed to fulfill its mission without...
bit.ly
August 30, 2025 at 2:15 PM
We stand with the Smithsonian.
When folks at CBS clap back at each other about the role of slavery in history... youtu.be/xkPYmz3dMBA?... got to love it...
Reporter's Notebook: American exceptionalism and confronting slavery's horrors
YouTube video by CBS Evening News
youtu.be
August 21, 2025 at 9:53 PM
When folks at CBS clap back at each other about the role of slavery in history... youtu.be/xkPYmz3dMBA?... got to love it...
An interesting take on AI and the value of interdisciplinary collaborative thinking that also mightily fails to consider where the information inside the bot is coming from/what prompting the bot is doing to our environment.
What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot
At the frontiers of knowledge, researchers are discovering that A.I. doesn’t just take prompts—it gives them, too, sparking new forms of creativity and collaboration.
www.newyorker.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:11 PM
An interesting take on AI and the value of interdisciplinary collaborative thinking that also mightily fails to consider where the information inside the bot is coming from/what prompting the bot is doing to our environment.
What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
What It’s Like to Brainstorm with a Bot www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
The National Humanities Center welcomes fellowship applications from faculty engaged in advanced #humanities research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Help us spread the word about this exciting opportunity.
Opportunities for Scholars from HBCUs | National Humanities Center
The NHC welcomes fellowship applications from scholars engaged in advanced humanities research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
bit.ly
July 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
The National Humanities Center welcomes fellowship applications from faculty engaged in advanced #humanities research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Help us spread the word about this exciting opportunity.
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
The National Humanities Center welcomes fellowship applications from scholars engaged in the study of China in the Ming dynasty or of regions and periods connected to the Ming dynasty. Applications are due October 2, 2025. #AsianStudies cc: @asianstudies.org
Opportunities for Scholars Studying Ming Dynasty China and Its World | National Humanities Center
The NHC welcomes fellowship applications from scholars engaged in the study of China and its world, during and adjacent to the Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
bit.ly
July 24, 2025 at 1:23 PM
The National Humanities Center welcomes fellowship applications from scholars engaged in the study of China in the Ming dynasty or of regions and periods connected to the Ming dynasty. Applications are due October 2, 2025. #AsianStudies cc: @asianstudies.org
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
ChatGPT psychosis is real. Philosopher Krista Thomason (NHC Fellow, 2021–22) explores how our emotional needs can lead to psychological distress when interacting with AI.
I'm glad to see that OpenAI is taking my advice to be more attentive to the way our emotions interact with ChatGPT (at least I hope so?)
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/danc...
www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/danc...
July 22, 2025 at 5:32 PM
ChatGPT psychosis is real. Philosopher Krista Thomason (NHC Fellow, 2021–22) explores how our emotional needs can lead to psychological distress when interacting with AI.
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
Black women face a particularly daunting reality. They are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive forms of breast cancer at younger ages compared to their white counterparts
Rising Breast Cancer Rates in Young Black Women | Black Girl Nerds
We can do our part to mitigate the impact of breast cancer on younger women and work toward closing the gap in health disparities.
blackgirlnerds.com
July 14, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Black women face a particularly daunting reality. They are more likely to be diagnosed with aggressive forms of breast cancer at younger ages compared to their white counterparts
Wow. More than a century after the fight I chronicled in Right to Ride, when Black passengers challenged segregation on trains and boycotted segregated streetcars, Black passengers are now being told to move to the back of the bus? And threatened with arrest if they don't? #StudyingSegregation
Worried yet?
This is what time it is: Jim Crow-o-clock. www.startribune.com/minnesota-st...
To see how this lines up with the century+ long struggle over desegregating transportation, consider reading @profblmkelley.bsky.social's Right to Ride or Prof. Mia Bay's Traveling Black. 🗃️
This is what time it is: Jim Crow-o-clock. www.startribune.com/minnesota-st...
To see how this lines up with the century+ long struggle over desegregating transportation, consider reading @profblmkelley.bsky.social's Right to Ride or Prof. Mia Bay's Traveling Black. 🗃️
Driver made Black passengers sit in back of Jefferson Lines bus, state investigation finds
The driver told two Black passengers he would call law enforcement if they didn’t move to the back for a ride from Fargo to Crookston, Minn.
www.startribune.com
July 14, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Wow. More than a century after the fight I chronicled in Right to Ride, when Black passengers challenged segregation on trains and boycotted segregated streetcars, Black passengers are now being told to move to the back of the bus? And threatened with arrest if they don't? #StudyingSegregation
Thank you so much sis!
... Knowing that era well, I know that Black and Brown folk never stopped achieving. We're doing the same today, and @profblmkelley.bsky.social is a beautiful example!!!
Rock on, doc! We love to see it!
nationalhumanitiescenter.org/national-hum...
Rock on, doc! We love to see it!
nationalhumanitiescenter.org/national-hum...
National Humanities Center Announces Dr. Blair LM Kelley as New President
After a nationwide search, the National Humanities Center is pleased to announce the selection of historian Blair LM Kelley as its next president and director. Dr. Kelley's appointment marks a pivotal...
nationalhumanitiescenter.org
July 3, 2025 at 2:10 AM
Thank you so much sis!
Big news! I'm heading to the National Humanities Center as the next president. I'm proud to be the first woman, the first Black person, and the first person of color to lead it. Honored to start this new chapter. #Humanities #BlackWomenLead #BlackSky
The National Humanities Center is pleased to announce historian Dr. Blair LM Kelley (@profblmkelley.bsky.social) has been selected as its next president and director.
National Humanities Center Announces Dr. Blair LM Kelley as New President
After a nationwide search, the National Humanities Center is pleased to announce the selection of historian Blair LM Kelley as its next president and director. Dr. Kelley's appointment marks a pivotal...
bit.ly
June 26, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Big news! I'm heading to the National Humanities Center as the next president. I'm proud to be the first woman, the first Black person, and the first person of color to lead it. Honored to start this new chapter. #Humanities #BlackWomenLead #BlackSky
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
An awesome story about how solar microgrids kept the power on during Puerto Rico's latest blackouts.
This is bottom-up, power-to-the-people shit. Get excited!
This is bottom-up, power-to-the-people shit. Get excited!
Could Microgrids Be Puerto Rico's Answer to Endless Blackouts?
Meanwhile, feds redirect $365 million away from solar toward grid fixes
spectrum.ieee.org
June 25, 2025 at 8:37 PM
An awesome story about how solar microgrids kept the power on during Puerto Rico's latest blackouts.
This is bottom-up, power-to-the-people shit. Get excited!
This is bottom-up, power-to-the-people shit. Get excited!
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
A few months ago, Nature published how-to guide for using ChatGPT to write your peer reviews in 30 minutes.
This is, of course, a horrible idea. Here’s my response with @jbakcoleman.bsky.social .
This is, of course, a horrible idea. Here’s my response with @jbakcoleman.bsky.social .
AI, peer review and the human activity of science
When researchers cede their scientific judgement to machines, we lose something important.
www.nature.com
June 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
A few months ago, Nature published how-to guide for using ChatGPT to write your peer reviews in 30 minutes.
This is, of course, a horrible idea. Here’s my response with @jbakcoleman.bsky.social .
This is, of course, a horrible idea. Here’s my response with @jbakcoleman.bsky.social .
Add this to your must reads... For Black Women, Life in America Has Always Been a Crossroads www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/b...
For Black Women, Life in America Has Always Been a Crossroads
www.nytimes.com
June 23, 2025 at 1:30 AM
Add this to your must reads... For Black Women, Life in America Has Always Been a Crossroads www.nytimes.com/2025/06/21/b...
Good morning to those commemorating the struggle for freedom, fervently defending freedom's possibilities for our descendants, and having a good time doing it. #HappyJuneteenth
June 19, 2025 at 12:07 PM
Good morning to those commemorating the struggle for freedom, fervently defending freedom's possibilities for our descendants, and having a good time doing it. #HappyJuneteenth
Mansplaining encapsulated in one clip.
I need all of #lawsky to see this video from a Colorado appeals court livestream yesterday. I am in actual tears. Sound *incredibly* on, the subtitles will not help.
June 19, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Mansplaining encapsulated in one clip.
What happened to Adriana Smith is such a profoundly violent intrusion. Where was any semblance of bodily autonomy and a family's wishes? Why didn't that matter at all? Once again, policies get played out to awful ends on the terrain of Black women's bodies. I am praying for her family.
June 17, 2025 at 9:37 PM
What happened to Adriana Smith is such a profoundly violent intrusion. Where was any semblance of bodily autonomy and a family's wishes? Why didn't that matter at all? Once again, policies get played out to awful ends on the terrain of Black women's bodies. I am praying for her family.
Reposted by Blair LM Kelley, Ph.D.
Here it is, my 229th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...
americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...
#ScholarSunday Thread 229
Published on June 15, 2025
americanstudier.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Here it is, my 229th #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the last week. Please add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️
americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...
americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...