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robtaber.bsky.social
Rob Taber
@robtaber.bsky.social
6K followers 1.6K following 1.7K posts
Historian of Haiti 🇭🇹 and democracy in the Americas at Fayetteville State.

Working for a welcoming + transformative UNC System & NC. Views my own.

Formerly US ED Partnerships.

Occasional live-poster of obscure panels and events.
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robtaber.bsky.social
Rob Taber @robtaber.bsky.social · Nov 9
Welcome new followers! I'm a historian of colonial Haiti and the Age of Revolutions. I teach Latin American and Black Atlantic History at Fayetteville State in North Carolina, where I also serve on the UNC Faculty Assembly. I'm an editor at @ageofrevolutions.bsky.social
robtaber.bsky.social
One of the hazards of using ChatGPT to "save time" is you're prioritizing saving time over doing something well.
ChatGPT cuts in action
www.politico.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:15 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
Very important thread, including on how DHS is ignoring federal law and court orders.
mddoogie3.bsky.social MdDoogie3 @mddoogie3.bsky.social · 3d
I don’t really know what I expect in posting this, but maybe some people see it and can learn from it.

I’ll call it “lessons from an unwilling immigration attorney.”

1/
February 12, 2026 at 1:47 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
I care a great deal about civic discourse and how universities can promote it. One challenge: the tremendous potential for irony. To wit:

"...who teaches in the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society."
A Professor Tackled a Man Who Was Trying to Interview Gordon Gee. Now He’s on Leave.
Viral video showed an assistant professor shoving a man with a camera to the ground. Ohio State University called the incident “concerning.”
www.chronicle.com
February 11, 2026 at 10:21 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Today was one of my favorite class sessions: bringing ~40 books from my office related to the last few modules, students all pick one, spend 30 minutes taking notes on their selection, and then share out.
February 11, 2026 at 3:04 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Love to summarize the Eighty Years' War into one (1) slide.
February 10, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Reposted by Rob Taber
gnrosenberg.bsky.social
Some farming 🔥 from sarahtaber.bsky.social. Lots of insightful stuff here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVnJ...
How Did Farming Become Conservative?
YouTube video by Farm to Taber
www.youtube.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:24 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
It's rude to have such terrible commercials during the National Mad Men Renaissance.
clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social Mrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social · 6d
Using Mr. Rogers in a Super Bowl commercial for mortgages should result in prison time
February 9, 2026 at 1:59 AM
Reposted by Rob Taber
profgabriele.com
What can you do with a history degree?
February 9, 2026 at 1:52 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
This halftime brought to you by the arts and humanities.
February 9, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Rob Taber
erinbartram.bsky.social
Well, let's give it a shot again and see what we get.
Adjunct pay/working conditions AY25-26
This form is part of a project to crowd-source pay and working conditions for people who teach and research in colleges and universities during AY2025-2026. This form is for people paid by the course ...
forms.gle
February 8, 2026 at 5:53 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Sarah is kicking off a new series of videos unpacking how agriculture in the US became politically conservative. First one dropped this morning:
How Did Farming Become Conservative?
YouTube video by Farm to Taber
www.youtube.com
February 8, 2026 at 3:41 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Worth reading in full:
kawulf.bsky.social Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social · 8d
“The problem is that we have accelerated into a consuming and exclusive narrative about science in the national interest.”

Some day I’ll stop sharing my v personal perspective on how devastating humanities has in fact devastated science. Not today.

scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2025/06/26/d...
Did My Father’s World Die with Him? Grieving the Incalculable Costs of “STEM.” - The Scholarly Kitchen
Grieving my father's death feels inextricably tangled with grieving the catastrophe overtaking the whole of our research infrastructure.
scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org
February 7, 2026 at 12:34 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
Good grief, IOC.
phillewis.bsky.social Phil Lewis @phillewis.bsky.social · 8d
The International Olympic Committee ruled that an image of Toussaint Louverture, born into slavery and and leader of the Haitian Revolution, on Haiti’s uniforms violated Olympic rules barring political symbolism
Haiti's Winter Olympics team shines a positive light even as IOC removes patriot from uniforms
Haiti is making a statement at the Milan Cortina Winter Games with two athletes proudly representing the nation.
apnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Rob Taber
stevevladeck.bsky.social
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet]. So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot] Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 AM
Reposted by Rob Taber
froomkin.bsky.social
Haiti’s TPS continues for now!!!!! And zowie: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214/gov.uscourts.dcd.283214.124.0_1.pdf
VII. CONCLUSION There is an old adage among lawyers. If you have the facts on your side, pound the facts. If you have the law on your side, pound the law. If you have neither, pound the table. Secretary Noem, the record to-date shows, does not have the facts on her side or at least has ignored them. Does not have the law on her side or at least has ignored it. Having neither and bringing the adage into the 21st century, she pounds X (f/k/a Twitter). Kristi Noem has a First Amendment right to call immigrants killers, leeches, entitlement junkies, and any other inapt name she wants. Secretary Noem, however, is constrained by both our Constitution and the APA to apply faithfully the facts to the law in implementing the TPS program. The record to-date shows she has yet to do that. By accompanying Order, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs' Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705. Ara C. Regr
February 3, 2026 at 12:36 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
It's me. I am surprised. (Only a quarter of an inch so far but coming fast.)
robtaber.bsky.social Rob Taber @robtaber.bsky.social · 14d
Someday, the forecasted snow will actually arrive in Fayetteville and everyone will be so surprised.
February 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
Someday, the forecasted snow will actually arrive in Fayetteville and everyone will be so surprised.
January 31, 2026 at 10:17 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Geography of Climates
2. Spanish American Revolutions
3. Crime in Classic French Film Noir
4. Advanced Seminar in Current Topics (weekly speakers in DC)
5. Economic Principles & Problems
jackiantonovich.bsky.social Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social · 14d
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
bachynski.bsky.social Kathleen Bachynski @bachynski.bsky.social · 15d
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:

1. Origins of Nazism
2. Dante’s Divine Comedy
3. Behavioral Ecology & Conservation Biology
4. Principles of Evolution
5. Thinking and Speaking About Thinking and Speaking
January 31, 2026 at 5:56 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Having to write an abstract this morning and thinking of the grad school colleague who once helped me get over my writers' block with:

"What's so hard about it? 'Saint-Domingue, blah blah blah. Poor whites, blah blah blah.'"
January 31, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Rob Taber
biblioracle.bsky.social
I can confirm one aspect of Ian's story based on my travels speaking and doing workshops about teaching and AI, the smaller liberal arts colleges have an easier time having more meaningful discussions about what to do. The problem isn't solved, but the work is clearly productive. The other group...
ibogost.com Ian Bogost @ibogost.com · 16d
Higher education is a hellscspe right now, attacked by the freedom government in one side and AI on the other.

This fall, I spent a month visiting elite liberal arts colleges, on the instinct that they would be more resilient in every way. My story (gift link):
The Accidental Winners of the War on Higher Ed
Go to a small liberal-arts college if you can.
www.theatlantic.com
January 29, 2026 at 2:36 PM
Reposted by Rob Taber
vituperativeerb.bsky.social
On the off-chance any attorneys in Ohio follow me: DM me and we’ll figure out how to get you trained ahead of this, but I gotta emphasize the mere fact of filing a 2241 petition (you’ll learn what this is!) makes a huge difference in what happens here, you can make difference
whstancil.bsky.social Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 17d
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.

Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.

Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
January 29, 2026 at 12:40 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
"Still, Hutchens said the UNC System considering protections for academic freedom at all is a notable endeavor compared to the actions of other university systems, like Texas A&M."

Indeed.
UNC System Board Advances Academic Freedom Policy, Despite Pushback
Lawyers for a faculty group said the policy would “effectively weaken the definition and historical scope of academic freedom.”
www.theassemblync.com
January 29, 2026 at 1:52 AM
robtaber.bsky.social
Happening tomorrow night at Fayetteville State University! Fayetteville / Cumberland friends, come join us as we kick off #America250 and #BlackHistoryMonth! #nc
Flyer for the annual Lafayette Lecture, titled "Enslaved Afro-Virginian Women in a Revolutionary World," occurring on January 29 from 6 to 7:30 PM in 242 Rudolph Jones Student Center at Fayetteville State University. Presenter is Dr. Adam McNeil.
January 28, 2026 at 3:08 PM
robtaber.bsky.social
Ok, skystorians: are there good surveys of slavery in the ancient/classical Mediterranean? I'm presuming there's something better out there than the opening chapters of Blackburn and D. B. Davis's books.
January 19, 2026 at 3:50 PM