Monica Heilman
@writingmonicker.bsky.social
sociologist studying race, multiracial identity & whiteness using qualitative & arts-based methods
monicaheilman.com
views my own
monicaheilman.com
views my own
Reposted by Monica Heilman
"Now isn't the time to bring up history." Really, because the people you claim to oppose are definitely making time to erase it.
"Slavery was real"
Tiny sign at the base of a brick wall that, until yesterday, held panels about the people enslaved by George Washington.
Presidents House, Philadelphia.
Tiny sign at the base of a brick wall that, until yesterday, held panels about the people enslaved by George Washington.
Presidents House, Philadelphia.
January 23, 2026 at 6:07 PM
"Now isn't the time to bring up history." Really, because the people you claim to oppose are definitely making time to erase it.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
If the admin's strategic goal was to break public resistance to immigration enforcement activities, it was a tactical mistake to go to the Twin Cities.
January 23, 2026 at 5:57 PM
If the admin's strategic goal was to break public resistance to immigration enforcement activities, it was a tactical mistake to go to the Twin Cities.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
One of my soapboxes is that this place has never been a "white homeland." This is Indigenous land! Native nation and people have been here since before the glaciers receded.
Every group the fascists are tormenting has a 500 year history here. Black Americans are not alone in that thanks to empire.
Every group the fascists are tormenting has a 500 year history here. Black Americans are not alone in that thanks to empire.
January 22, 2026 at 3:06 PM
One of my soapboxes is that this place has never been a "white homeland." This is Indigenous land! Native nation and people have been here since before the glaciers receded.
Every group the fascists are tormenting has a 500 year history here. Black Americans are not alone in that thanks to empire.
Every group the fascists are tormenting has a 500 year history here. Black Americans are not alone in that thanks to empire.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
Anytime I see numbers showing that Asian people are less underwater than others, I wish we were actually fucking teaching the history of Asian people in this country.
Instead, maybe people are told that Chinese laborers built the railroads in the mid-1800s and then... like, nothing at all.
Instead, maybe people are told that Chinese laborers built the railroads in the mid-1800s and then... like, nothing at all.
January 22, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Anytime I see numbers showing that Asian people are less underwater than others, I wish we were actually fucking teaching the history of Asian people in this country.
Instead, maybe people are told that Chinese laborers built the railroads in the mid-1800s and then... like, nothing at all.
Instead, maybe people are told that Chinese laborers built the railroads in the mid-1800s and then... like, nothing at all.
Hey @dorianbae.bsky.social seems like I can't comment but you identified some classics. 👍 I also recommend Helen Zia and Ellen Wu's books.
Since I have a foot in the arts, a couple of graphic novels on Japanese internment camps too:
Displacement - Kiku Hughes
They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
Since I have a foot in the arts, a couple of graphic novels on Japanese internment camps too:
Displacement - Kiku Hughes
They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
Do folks have any good recommendations for books about the history of Asian Americans? That's an area where I'm ignorant, and I'd like to fix that! A quick search turns up the authors Ericka Lee and Robert Takaki, but direct recs are always appreciated, too!
January 22, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Hey @dorianbae.bsky.social seems like I can't comment but you identified some classics. 👍 I also recommend Helen Zia and Ellen Wu's books.
Since I have a foot in the arts, a couple of graphic novels on Japanese internment camps too:
Displacement - Kiku Hughes
They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
Since I have a foot in the arts, a couple of graphic novels on Japanese internment camps too:
Displacement - Kiku Hughes
They Called Us Enemy - George Takei
Reposted by Monica Heilman
I've been here 24 hours, but already with what I've seen, well, I genuinely believe we're going to win. People here are well aware that what happens here impacts the entire country, that it sets the tone for resistance. ICE is angry, ICE is terrified, of how deeply unpopular it is.
January 22, 2026 at 3:58 AM
I've been here 24 hours, but already with what I've seen, well, I genuinely believe we're going to win. People here are well aware that what happens here impacts the entire country, that it sets the tone for resistance. ICE is angry, ICE is terrified, of how deeply unpopular it is.
🧵 to see "The people united will never be defeated" in action.
I came to Minneapolis to report on what's going on, and one of the main questions I showed up with is "just what is the scale of the resistance?" After all, we're all used to the news calling Portland a "war zone" or whatever when it's just some protests in one part of town.
January 22, 2026 at 3:13 PM
🧵 to see "The people united will never be defeated" in action.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
The disconnect between management and employee on AI usage is big. At the same time, CEOs are reporting they aren't seeing any revenue growth from AI.
🤷
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...
🤷
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...
CEOs Say AI Is Making Work More Efficient. Employees Tell a Different Story.
How much time workers say the technology saves them on the job is vastly different from what executives report.
www.wsj.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:07 PM
The disconnect between management and employee on AI usage is big. At the same time, CEOs are reporting they aren't seeing any revenue growth from AI.
🤷
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...
🤷
www.wsj.com/lifestyle/wo...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
I've been thinking about this a lot, for months: Gaza was a breaking point between verifiable reality and liberal governance. "AI" sparks fears ppl will believe things that aren't true, but Gaza SHOWED things that WERE true—& western governments, universities & news outlets pretened they were not.
What did we think Trump was going to do, if Europe showed him we would fully collaborate on the total destruction of the Gaza Strip and ferociously repeat even the most absurd lies about it to our citizens? Did we think he would decide: best to not push the law breaking and war crimes, be sensible.
January 21, 2026 at 10:28 AM
I've been thinking about this a lot, for months: Gaza was a breaking point between verifiable reality and liberal governance. "AI" sparks fears ppl will believe things that aren't true, but Gaza SHOWED things that WERE true—& western governments, universities & news outlets pretened they were not.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
There was a shared sense of reality in watching George Floyd's last moments, even between the classes—the ruling, overseer, and working classes.
There was no such shared reality in watching Gaza. On one side, there were the people of Earth. On the other, govts, universities & journalists.
There was no such shared reality in watching Gaza. On one side, there were the people of Earth. On the other, govts, universities & journalists.
January 21, 2026 at 10:42 AM
There was a shared sense of reality in watching George Floyd's last moments, even between the classes—the ruling, overseer, and working classes.
There was no such shared reality in watching Gaza. On one side, there were the people of Earth. On the other, govts, universities & journalists.
There was no such shared reality in watching Gaza. On one side, there were the people of Earth. On the other, govts, universities & journalists.
We're warned not to rely on tools like GPTZero to check if students have submitted AI work because they're not accurate. But sure, let's use it on journal articles.
Embarrassing.
Embarrassing.
Not to minimize a real problem, but couple of cautions here:
*53 papers out of 4841
*It is not the job of peer reviewers - esp in conferences - to manually check every citation
*These guys are selling an AI agent to detect bad cites - which is useful, but thats the pitch here.
*53 papers out of 4841
*It is not the job of peer reviewers - esp in conferences - to manually check every citation
*These guys are selling an AI agent to detect bad cites - which is useful, but thats the pitch here.
The results come from the company GPTZero, which claims they “uncovered hundreds of AI-hallucinated citations that slipped past the three or more reviewers assigned to each submission, spanning at least 53 papers in total.”
January 21, 2026 at 5:01 PM
We're warned not to rely on tools like GPTZero to check if students have submitted AI work because they're not accurate. But sure, let's use it on journal articles.
Embarrassing.
Embarrassing.
If you only read one thing today, this is well worth it.
I went to Minneapolis last week. What I saw was horrifying and inspiring in equal measure. Gift link to my latest column: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:41 PM
If you only read one thing today, this is well worth it.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
This is an excellent column chronicling the attempted authoritarian takeover of Minneapolis. I appreciate the point that as a successful cosmopolitan city where people from around the world work together and support one another, the city‘s existence undermines the racist assumptions of Trumpism.
I went to Minneapolis last week. What I saw was horrifying and inspiring in equal measure. Gift link to my latest column: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/19/o...
Opinion | In Minneapolis, I Glimpsed a Civil War
www.nytimes.com
January 19, 2026 at 4:58 PM
This is an excellent column chronicling the attempted authoritarian takeover of Minneapolis. I appreciate the point that as a successful cosmopolitan city where people from around the world work together and support one another, the city‘s existence undermines the racist assumptions of Trumpism.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility
January 19, 2026 at 5:19 PM
one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws one has a moral responsibility
"ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval."
"It’s based on de-escalation tactics that have long historical roots in American antiviolence and civil rights movements..."
"It’s based on de-escalation tactics that have long historical roots in American antiviolence and civil rights movements..."
For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 17, 2026 at 12:08 AM
"ICE Watch works because it surrounds men seeking approval with people loudly expressing their disapproval."
"It’s based on de-escalation tactics that have long historical roots in American antiviolence and civil rights movements..."
"It’s based on de-escalation tactics that have long historical roots in American antiviolence and civil rights movements..."
Reposted by Monica Heilman
I keep seeing it without a source link, so here it is:
January 16, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS LABOR UNION DELEGATION AND LOCAL REGIONAL LABOR BODIES ENDORSE JANUARY 23: DAY OF TRUTH AND FREEDOM
NO WORK, SCHOOL, OR SHOPPING
minneapolisunions.org/system/files...
January 16, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS LABOR UNION DELEGATION AND LOCAL REGIONAL LABOR BODIES ENDORSE JANUARY 23: DAY OF TRUTH AND FREEDOM
NO WORK, SCHOOL, OR SHOPPING
minneapolisunions.org/system/files...
January 16, 2026 at 11:40 PM
I keep seeing it without a source link, so here it is:
January 16, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS LABOR UNION DELEGATION AND LOCAL REGIONAL LABOR BODIES ENDORSE JANUARY 23: DAY OF TRUTH AND FREEDOM
NO WORK, SCHOOL, OR SHOPPING
minneapolisunions.org/system/files...
January 16, 2026
MINNEAPOLIS LABOR UNION DELEGATION AND LOCAL REGIONAL LABOR BODIES ENDORSE JANUARY 23: DAY OF TRUTH AND FREEDOM
NO WORK, SCHOOL, OR SHOPPING
minneapolisunions.org/system/files...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
Minnesotans are standing up against this federal lawlessness. Please stand with us.
Call your U.S. elected officials and tell them to stop DHS's lawlessness & disruption.
They are here now but they could head toward your family next.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Call your U.S. elected officials and tell them to stop DHS's lawlessness & disruption.
They are here now but they could head toward your family next.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
January 15, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Minnesotans are standing up against this federal lawlessness. Please stand with us.
Call your U.S. elected officials and tell them to stop DHS's lawlessness & disruption.
They are here now but they could head toward your family next.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Call your U.S. elected officials and tell them to stop DHS's lawlessness & disruption.
They are here now but they could head toward your family next.
bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
Heard from a public school staffer.
ICE agents follow school buses on their afternoon routes & target some parents picking up kids from bus stops.
If ICE knew anything abt particular parents, they'd go to homes.
Seems they're just leveraging kids' vulnerability & mixing with racial profiling.
ICE agents follow school buses on their afternoon routes & target some parents picking up kids from bus stops.
If ICE knew anything abt particular parents, they'd go to homes.
Seems they're just leveraging kids' vulnerability & mixing with racial profiling.
January 15, 2026 at 2:14 AM
Heard from a public school staffer.
ICE agents follow school buses on their afternoon routes & target some parents picking up kids from bus stops.
If ICE knew anything abt particular parents, they'd go to homes.
Seems they're just leveraging kids' vulnerability & mixing with racial profiling.
ICE agents follow school buses on their afternoon routes & target some parents picking up kids from bus stops.
If ICE knew anything abt particular parents, they'd go to homes.
Seems they're just leveraging kids' vulnerability & mixing with racial profiling.
Alright, I already spiraled for 2 days this week (a cute little Mon-Thurs crash-and-burn cycle, if you will), so today we're getting back to #writing with some motivation via @kellyclancy.bsky.social's newsletter and an hour of article revisions. See ya.
epilogueediting.substack.com/p/3-ways-wer...
epilogueediting.substack.com/p/3-ways-wer...
3 Ways We're Gonna Start Writing Again
Friends,
epilogueediting.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Alright, I already spiraled for 2 days this week (a cute little Mon-Thurs crash-and-burn cycle, if you will), so today we're getting back to #writing with some motivation via @kellyclancy.bsky.social's newsletter and an hour of article revisions. See ya.
epilogueediting.substack.com/p/3-ways-wer...
epilogueediting.substack.com/p/3-ways-wer...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
I know a lot of people outside of Minnesota are starting to think about what they need to do to prepare for ICE coming to their city.
Hanging out with people with good politics is a great starting place. Set a weekly thing with your friends who are as horrified as you are.
Hanging out with people with good politics is a great starting place. Set a weekly thing with your friends who are as horrified as you are.
January 16, 2026 at 5:29 PM
I know a lot of people outside of Minnesota are starting to think about what they need to do to prepare for ICE coming to their city.
Hanging out with people with good politics is a great starting place. Set a weekly thing with your friends who are as horrified as you are.
Hanging out with people with good politics is a great starting place. Set a weekly thing with your friends who are as horrified as you are.
Reposted by Monica Heilman
New book: The Limits of Diversity (@nyupress.bsky.social) by @estherdchan.bsky.social Comparing secular and evangelical college campuses, the book shows how diversity and inclusion frameworks can reproduce inequality across multiple lines of social difference.
nyupress.org/978147983474...
nyupress.org/978147983474...
The Limits of Diversity
Shows that universities' diversity efforts may inadvertently reproduce inequalityAcross universities and colleges, diversity is a purported value, often acco...
nyupress.org
January 14, 2026 at 8:18 PM
New book: The Limits of Diversity (@nyupress.bsky.social) by @estherdchan.bsky.social Comparing secular and evangelical college campuses, the book shows how diversity and inclusion frameworks can reproduce inequality across multiple lines of social difference.
nyupress.org/978147983474...
nyupress.org/978147983474...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
This is the story of the day. Share it. We are all being called to be our highest selves. The cavalier treatment of the Nobel Prize is a disgrace. It represents another way to destroy and defile that which should be precious and revered.
We can all make choices to be better.
We can all make choices to be better.
This is your reminder that Hungarian-Jewish scientist George de Hevesy dissolved two Nobel Prizes in aqua regia to keep them out of the hands of the Nazis.
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
He then left the dissolved solution on his shelf and fled to Sweden.
(After the war he un-dissolved the gold and the prizes were re-cast.)
January 16, 2026 at 2:39 PM
This is the story of the day. Share it. We are all being called to be our highest selves. The cavalier treatment of the Nobel Prize is a disgrace. It represents another way to destroy and defile that which should be precious and revered.
We can all make choices to be better.
We can all make choices to be better.
The job market is horrendous, of course, but every once in a while, I'll work on an application that makes me realize, wow I could really dream bigger here. All this to say, some of you are doing incredible work during these dark times.
#AcademicSky
#AcademicSky
January 16, 2026 at 5:17 PM
The job market is horrendous, of course, but every once in a while, I'll work on an application that makes me realize, wow I could really dream bigger here. All this to say, some of you are doing incredible work during these dark times.
#AcademicSky
#AcademicSky
Reposted by Monica Heilman
We don't exist in the same reality in this country. Never really have. Here's something I wrote in 2013 about what police in Chicago do to young Black and Brown people REGULARLY: www.usprisonculture.com/2013/02/19/o...
January 14, 2026 at 8:53 PM
We don't exist in the same reality in this country. Never really have. Here's something I wrote in 2013 about what police in Chicago do to young Black and Brown people REGULARLY: www.usprisonculture.com/2013/02/19/o...
Reposted by Monica Heilman
We’re following the America First Global Health Strategy, the $11bil replacement for USAID, which Trump called “neocolonial”. KFF has a tracker that looks at public agreements in place so far. These direct agreements have more than a whiff of control hanging around them.
What could this mean? 🧵/10
What could this mean? 🧵/10
January 14, 2026 at 6:30 PM
We’re following the America First Global Health Strategy, the $11bil replacement for USAID, which Trump called “neocolonial”. KFF has a tracker that looks at public agreements in place so far. These direct agreements have more than a whiff of control hanging around them.
What could this mean? 🧵/10
What could this mean? 🧵/10