It's Election Day in Virginia. I took care of this last week -- straight-ticket Democratic, of course -- but if you haven't yet, make sure to vote! Send a message to the fascists that democracy still matters.

No kings in Chicago.

Last week I spent several days with fellow teacher-scholars as part of a Mellon fellowship to develop open-resource teaching materials on civic education. We'll be working on them for the next year, which dovetails nicely with my new writing course on movement histories in D.C. Impressive bunch!

Amid all of the current threats to my profession, it was nice to celebrate Chicago history and politics - and its importance to the nation - Thursday when I accepted the 2025 best book on Chicago history award from the Union League Club of Chicago. And thrilled that a few old friends could join us!

New sign adorning our front yard. We're actually one of the very few households on our street that doesn't have a federal worker or contractor. I'm proud to call these hard-working public servants my neighbors and my friends.

Here is my latest book recommendation for Black History Month -- Chocolate City, which came out 8 years ago and masterfully tells the story of how race shaped the nation's capital. This is at least my second time reading it. Arlingtonians may be interested in our area's brief time in the district.

I may be a little late to the party here, but if you're looking for some high-quality fiction with both humor and bite, I highly recommend Percival Everett's James. What an impressive re-telling of the adventures of Huck Finn. An appropriate read for our present circumstances, too.

Amid all of the terrible news these days, a bit of bright news: my book The Multiracial Promise won the Union League Club of Chicago's 2025 Outstanding Book on the History of Chicago Award. There will be an in-person and livestreamed event the evening of April 3 in Chicago. Details to come.

Meant to post this earlier but I had a chance to pay my respects to President Carter while he lay in state. A poignant moment for a consequential president.

I've been here a while, but not actively; that changed when I left X. For those who don't know me, I'm a social movement historian who teaches writing. My books, Power to the Poor and The Multiracial Promise, explore multiracial coalitions. I'm now interested in how we publicly memorialize activism.

In one week! "What Does Chicago Teach Us About Urban Politics in DC and Beyond" at AU's Metropolitan Policy Center -- Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 5:30 -- alongside GW's Greg Squires and Xolela Mangcu.

Had a blast at Chicago's Printers Row Lit Fest -- its 39th year -- this weekend. We had perfect weather for this fun event!

Friends in Chicagoland: The Printers Row Lit Fest starts tomorrow! Come check out the scores of authors participating, including myself at 11 am Sunday. I'll be speaking with Dick Simpson and Laura Washington, veterans of the Harold Washington years and then some. printersrowlitfest.org

This easy fix to my sign from 2020 works for the moment!

Here is today's statement unanimously endorsed by the Labor and Working-Class History Association (@lawcha.bsky.social) board, of which I'm a part, condemning the use of police to violently break up peaceful protest on U.S. campuses. Feel free to share widely.

This weekend at #2024OAH, I was humbled to win the 2024 Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians -- marking the best book by a historian on civil rights from the nation's founding to the present -- for The Multiracial Promise. Thanks, all! @uncpress.bsky.social

Happy first birthday (or maybe anniversary?) to The Multiracial Promise. Thanks to all of the support over the last year! #Chicago #HaroldWashington #1980s