Dr Jessica Parr
@provatlantic.bsky.social
Historian of Early Modern Atlantic. Digital Humanist, and Librarian. #NULab affiliate faculty and Director of #PH at Northeastern. #Memory Studies. #Geospatial humanities Neurospicy. Opinions are my own and not my employers. www.jessicaparr.org
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
This class is super timely right now, with the World Cup happening, all of the corruption around FIFA, oil-rich states buying up football clubs, and gambling industry sponsors everywhere. Gianni said he wants to let Russia back into international competition, too.
NEW:
One of the most progressive institutions in the U.S., The New School, has begun destroying its humanities departments.
They have cancelled one of their most popular classes, "Global Soccer and World Politics."
We are going to teach it anyway.
karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-new-sc...
One of the most progressive institutions in the U.S., The New School, has begun destroying its humanities departments.
They have cancelled one of their most popular classes, "Global Soccer and World Politics."
We are going to teach it anyway.
karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-new-sc...
The New School Cancelled Their Class on Global Soccer and World Politics. We Are Going To Teach it Anyway.
When institutions abandon critical thinking, we build our own classrooms.
karenattiah.substack.com
February 16, 2026 at 9:02 PM
This class is super timely right now, with the World Cup happening, all of the corruption around FIFA, oil-rich states buying up football clubs, and gambling industry sponsors everywhere. Gianni said he wants to let Russia back into international competition, too.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Calling it now: the US political media's treatment of AOC is going to make their treatment of Hillary Clinton or Al Gore look like a model of balance and discretion.
Have you ever once seen the New York Times quote Trump like this?
February 16, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Calling it now: the US political media's treatment of AOC is going to make their treatment of Hillary Clinton or Al Gore look like a model of balance and discretion.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Free speech in the classroom is back: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
Students Across the U.S. Are Protesting ICE. Texas Wants to Punish Their Schools.
www.nytimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:10 PM
Free speech in the classroom is back: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/15/u...
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Kavanaugh Stop
PBS News Hour: U.S. citizens detained by immigration agents describe how they were treated.
Watch the segment here www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgC...
I'm clipping transcripts of the citizens speaking in this thread 1/3
Watch the segment here www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgC...
I'm clipping transcripts of the citizens speaking in this thread 1/3
February 15, 2026 at 9:37 PM
Kavanaugh Stop
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
"New files show that Starr went as far as hosting Epstein on Baylor's campus in the summer of 2012. When Starr later resigned from Baylor over the sexual assault scandal that roiled the university, Epstein checked in..."
Then Starr went from dean of Pepperdine U to president of Baylor U with Epstein-now a registered sex offender-assisting. "I am forever in your corner"
"Starr was a key part of the team that secured a controversial agreement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal sex trafficking charges. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to two FL state felony prostitution charges, had to serve 18 months in prison, and was required to register as a sex offender."
February 15, 2026 at 10:26 PM
"New files show that Starr went as far as hosting Epstein on Baylor's campus in the summer of 2012. When Starr later resigned from Baylor over the sexual assault scandal that roiled the university, Epstein checked in..."
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
weird to think that the humanities have already experienced this in multiple waves since the 80s
“Asked how the cuts have affected science, one [researcher] said, ‘This is like asking, how do you think dropping an atomic bomb on New York City will affect the future of Broadway musicals? This is a generational loss of innovation, technology, and economic power.’” 🔗 archive.ph/2026.02.12-1...
February 15, 2026 at 10:34 PM
weird to think that the humanities have already experienced this in multiple waves since the 80s
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
If we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.
February 15, 2026 at 10:31 PM
If we don’t want to repeat history – then for God’s sake in this moment we better be strong enough to learn from it.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
The @bostonglobe.com opinion page this morning is headlined by white supremacist Richard Hanania, whose racist views have been smoothed over in recent months by centrists
February 15, 2026 at 3:15 PM
The @bostonglobe.com opinion page this morning is headlined by white supremacist Richard Hanania, whose racist views have been smoothed over in recent months by centrists
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
“It’s impossible not to think of the Fugitive Slave Act, the 1850 law that also created a federal force tasked with snaring people for the crime of wanting to live in freedom.”
Chicago resistance to ICE abuses echoes opposition to Fugitive Slave Act 175 years ago
Then, as now, out-of-state agents snatched people off the street. Then, as now, Illinoisans banded together to try to stop them.
chicago.suntimes.com
February 15, 2026 at 10:26 PM
“It’s impossible not to think of the Fugitive Slave Act, the 1850 law that also created a federal force tasked with snaring people for the crime of wanting to live in freedom.”
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Fuckin sick weirdos.
UTAH - Wasatch County Republican Party Chair David Johnson arrested for allegedly “waterboarding” a teen girl for not cleaning her room.
She also had bruising, and says he did it to other kids. Released on $10,000 bail.
Full: www.abc4.com/news/crimes-...
She also had bruising, and says he did it to other kids. Released on $10,000 bail.
Full: www.abc4.com/news/crimes-...
February 15, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Fuckin sick weirdos.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Musk is a malevolent force in American life, driven by white nationalism and incredibly influential given his obscene wealth. He's a supervillain.
But people get that. He's deeply unpopular, with an approval rating in the mid-30s with Trump. We just need political leaders willing to take him on.
But people get that. He's deeply unpopular, with an approval rating in the mid-30s with Trump. We just need political leaders willing to take him on.
We must speak plainly about the agenda Elon Musk & other MAGA leaders are pushing. It’s white nationalism.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
There’s no room for Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, Native, Jewish or all other Americans in Musk’s monocultural vision.
Multiculturalism is superior. We can’t allow Musk & others to end it.
February 15, 2026 at 4:01 PM
Musk is a malevolent force in American life, driven by white nationalism and incredibly influential given his obscene wealth. He's a supervillain.
But people get that. He's deeply unpopular, with an approval rating in the mid-30s with Trump. We just need political leaders willing to take him on.
But people get that. He's deeply unpopular, with an approval rating in the mid-30s with Trump. We just need political leaders willing to take him on.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
…That "Generative AI" does not tell you the truth, that it doesn't give you facts, & that when its outputs conform to factual reality, it's by fucking happenstance. These systems are not all-in-1 answer production machines, they are collections of stats & regularities spat out via fucking dice rolls
How many times, in how many contexts, in how many ways am I going to have to say that this is what "AI" does— what it fundamentally *is*— before it sinks in? That all Bullshit engines do is statistically correlate training data & inputs via their weights to produce outputs you are likely to accept…
February 15, 2026 at 4:01 AM
…That "Generative AI" does not tell you the truth, that it doesn't give you facts, & that when its outputs conform to factual reality, it's by fucking happenstance. These systems are not all-in-1 answer production machines, they are collections of stats & regularities spat out via fucking dice rolls
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
"We have suffered enough. ... The end result is death."
“All a Black neighborhood gets from a plant is death.”
Black residents of St. James Parish in southern Louisiana dubbed “Cancer Alley” hope their lawsuit can be a blueprint for other communities fighting toxic pollution in their backyards, ray levy uyeda reports.
Black residents of St. James Parish in southern Louisiana dubbed “Cancer Alley” hope their lawsuit can be a blueprint for other communities fighting toxic pollution in their backyards, ray levy uyeda reports.
Judge advances Black residents’ lawsuit against Louisiana parish
Organizations allege that St. James Parish has discriminated against Black residents by allowing chemical facilities in “Cancer Alley”
prismreports.org
February 14, 2026 at 7:11 AM
"We have suffered enough. ... The end result is death."
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
related to the view among the professional commentariat that only students at ivys and boutique liberal arts colleges actually matter
This elitist view that only rich/Ivy/private school kids should study/have access the liberal arts is so deeply ingrained in so many highly educated Democrats’ views (including tons who majored in the lib arts themselves) that they don’t even realize they hold it, let alone how ugly & elitist it is
(3) But the Democrat view is also bad: while it's fine for people at Princeton and Harvard to study Latin and Sanskrit, public higher education is about job training and $ ROI. There is no room for the idea that curiosity-driven inquiry is a good that should be supported by the public.
February 13, 2026 at 8:03 PM
related to the view among the professional commentariat that only students at ivys and boutique liberal arts colleges actually matter
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
"The abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds" - Joan Scott www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Gender studies courses are shutting down across the US. The Epstein files reveal why | Joan Wallach Scott
Texas A&M University is the latest school to end women’s and gender studies programs and teaching race. We know why
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:05 PM
"The abolition of gender studies is a way of further guaranteeing impunity to the elite men whose contempt for and exploitation of women and girls apparently knew no bounds" - Joan Scott www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
After so many stories, I am still stunned by the inhumanity this story uncovers.
Here's what I want from political officeholders and candidates: That they make clear to immigration officials at every level that they'll be criminally investigated & prosecuted for these crimes. Orders are no excuse.
Here's what I want from political officeholders and candidates: That they make clear to immigration officials at every level that they'll be criminally investigated & prosecuted for these crimes. Orders are no excuse.
I interviewed a family of Russian asylum seekers who’ve been held more than four months at the Dilley detention center in Texas.
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
As we spoke over Zoom this week, their daughter Kamilla was one day shy of turning 12. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday.
She replied: “To get out of here.”
'Even in Russia, they don't treat children like this': A family's nightmare in ICE detention
A Russian couple and their children sought asylum in the U.S. In a Texas detention center, they say they endured worms in the food and hourslong waits for medicine.
www.nbcnews.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:32 PM
After so many stories, I am still stunned by the inhumanity this story uncovers.
Here's what I want from political officeholders and candidates: That they make clear to immigration officials at every level that they'll be criminally investigated & prosecuted for these crimes. Orders are no excuse.
Here's what I want from political officeholders and candidates: That they make clear to immigration officials at every level that they'll be criminally investigated & prosecuted for these crimes. Orders are no excuse.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
I’m just going to leave this here
February 13, 2026 at 5:54 PM
I’m just going to leave this here
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
I'd like at add a few things to this. (1) humanists have not been able to convince any political party that curiosity-driven humanities research is a public good that should be funded using tax dollars. Republicans don't believe this, but neither do Democrats.
It's possible to do a non-reactionary critique of the current landscape of humanities research funding: www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...
Does humanities research matter anymore? (opinion)
The rapid collapse in available research funding is one crisis in the humanities we aren’t talking enough about, Asheesh Kapur Siddique writes.
www.insidehighered.com
February 13, 2026 at 2:57 PM
I'd like at add a few things to this. (1) humanists have not been able to convince any political party that curiosity-driven humanities research is a public good that should be funded using tax dollars. Republicans don't believe this, but neither do Democrats.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: “I was literally begging the agent who was holding me back to let me do CPR,” she told The Intercept.
The Woman Alex Pretti Was Killed Trying to Defend Is an EMT. Federal Agents Stopped Her From Giving First Aid.
One of the women Alex Pretti was killed trying to defend is an EMT. Federal agents stopped her from giving him first aid.
interc.pt
February 13, 2026 at 3:25 PM
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: “I was literally begging the agent who was holding me back to let me do CPR,” she told The Intercept.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Dude regularly works for Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and CN so speculate away. But this sucks no matter which studio is doing it, and gross to think some major movie this year is running with a plagiarized image from ChatGPT.
February 13, 2026 at 1:36 PM
Dude regularly works for Disney, DreamWorks, Netflix and CN so speculate away. But this sucks no matter which studio is doing it, and gross to think some major movie this year is running with a plagiarized image from ChatGPT.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Straight to jail.
On Thanksgiving, the immigrant children held at the Dilley detention center gathered in the gym for what they thought was a holiday feast.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
The kids salivated over a spread of turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, a family told me.
But the food wasn’t for detainees — it was for the staff.
February 13, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Straight to jail.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
February 13, 2026 at 4:48 AM
It's not a new observation at this point but that wild Noem/Lewandowski story in WSJ really brings home the extent to which all the Trump 2 cabinet-level goblins see their jobs as flying private, doing short-form video, and screaming at underlings. They all hate each other and none of them can read.
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
⬇️⬇️⬇️ CALL/WRITE YOUR SENATORS today & them to vote NO 🚫on the “SAVE” act.
As usual, for the Republicans, “save” means “destroy.”
As usual, for the Republicans, “save” means “destroy.”
BREAKING: The House passed the so-called SAVE America Act which threatens to upend our freedom to vote.
The bill could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters by requiring documents like passports or birth certificates to register to vote and forcing voter roll purges. The Senate must reject it.
The bill could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters by requiring documents like passports or birth certificates to register to vote and forcing voter roll purges. The Senate must reject it.
February 12, 2026 at 1:21 PM
⬇️⬇️⬇️ CALL/WRITE YOUR SENATORS today & them to vote NO 🚫on the “SAVE” act.
As usual, for the Republicans, “save” means “destroy.”
As usual, for the Republicans, “save” means “destroy.”
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
"Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong"
"For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?"
"For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?"
Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong
For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?
www.theguardian.com
February 12, 2026 at 1:21 PM
"Apocalypse no: how almost everything we thought we knew about the Maya is wrong"
"For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?"
"For many years the prevailing debate about the Maya centred upon why their civilisation collapsed. Now, many scholars are asking: how did the Maya survive?"
Reposted by Dr Jessica Parr
Ill be clear about why I am so angry and critical about it: Im seeing a good portion of my students who have imbibed the notion that they dont have to read, think or write for themselves because ChatGPT/CoPilot will do their thinking for them, and its terrifying. It should scare all of us.
February 12, 2026 at 1:21 PM
Ill be clear about why I am so angry and critical about it: Im seeing a good portion of my students who have imbibed the notion that they dont have to read, think or write for themselves because ChatGPT/CoPilot will do their thinking for them, and its terrifying. It should scare all of us.