Kevin Vrevich
@kevinvrevich.bsky.social
PhD. Secondary school teacher. Historian of New England, African American history, queer history, Quakers, abolition, and whaling. Bulldog dad of two (Imani and Adlai).
Pinned
Kevin Vrevich
@kevinvrevich.bsky.social
· May 26
For any and all (but especially former students), you can email me at kevinvrevich@gmail.com
Why is there no book about “de-Confederating” the American South during Reconstruction? It’s because we didn’t do it.
Historians and political scientists: has anyone written an accessible history of de-Nazification efforts in Germany after WWII or a comparative assessment of similar efforts around the world? (I suppose American Reconstruction is another case study)
November 20, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Why is there no book about “de-Confederating” the American South during Reconstruction? It’s because we didn’t do it.
The more widespread usage of policies like this is why I’ve been so, so wary to leave the, admittedly private, privileged, and elite, secondary school that I now work at for any college job.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Texas A&M adopts policy requiring professors to get OK from school president to discuss certain race and gender issues.
November 14, 2025 at 1:34 PM
The more widespread usage of policies like this is why I’ve been so, so wary to leave the, admittedly private, privileged, and elite, secondary school that I now work at for any college job.
Any history educators out there have a copy of Choices: Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies? Turns out the program is no defunct so our department subscription is no longer useful.
November 5, 2025 at 1:53 PM
Any history educators out there have a copy of Choices: Racial Slavery in the Americas: Resistance, Freedom, and Legacies? Turns out the program is no defunct so our department subscription is no longer useful.
A+ Long live the regicides. (Even though they didn’t-but Whalley and Goffe got a nice tour of New England hiking trails and basements.)
The original No Kings protest.
To paraphrase Patrick Henry: Charles I had his Cromwell, and Trump … ought to learn from that example.
To paraphrase Patrick Henry: Charles I had his Cromwell, and Trump … ought to learn from that example.
October 18, 2025 at 1:57 PM
A+ Long live the regicides. (Even though they didn’t-but Whalley and Goffe got a nice tour of New England hiking trails and basements.)
At least for the time being, I’m going to be stepping back from BlueSky. Truthfully, my current job is just terrible for my mental health and, well, the constant deluge of Trump is not helping. If you need me: kevinvrevich@gmail.com anytime. Be well.
August 25, 2025 at 11:13 PM
At least for the time being, I’m going to be stepping back from BlueSky. Truthfully, my current job is just terrible for my mental health and, well, the constant deluge of Trump is not helping. If you need me: kevinvrevich@gmail.com anytime. Be well.
Okay, final #hatm thought on queer history. Martin Duberman, perhaps the grand dame of queer history, was someone I desperately wanted to be when I was at Wesleyan. He moved from abolition in early career to queer history for the rest. I so very much wanted to follow his arc. And meet him. Oh well.
August 25, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Okay, final #hatm thought on queer history. Martin Duberman, perhaps the grand dame of queer history, was someone I desperately wanted to be when I was at Wesleyan. He moved from abolition in early career to queer history for the rest. I so very much wanted to follow his arc. And meet him. Oh well.
Really appreciate the history of the modern university and its importance to how all disciplines conduct themselves in the opening “tweets” here.
the crisis in which the University of Chicago is now engulfed -- one entirely of its own making, and which has led to the (hopefully temporary) suspension of admissions into numerous PhD programs in the humanities -- represents I think a seismic event in the history of American higher education
1/
1/
August 23, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Really appreciate the history of the modern university and its importance to how all disciplines conduct themselves in the opening “tweets” here.
Isn’t partial government interest/control of private corporations literally…umm…socialism?
August 22, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Isn’t partial government interest/control of private corporations literally…umm…socialism?
Reposted by Kevin Vrevich
You 100% know that Trump/Patel/Bondi are starting with Bolton because they know he’s such a hated figure across the spectrum. If they get away with this political prosecution, they’ll keep moving up the ladder.
August 22, 2025 at 2:14 PM
You 100% know that Trump/Patel/Bondi are starting with Bolton because they know he’s such a hated figure across the spectrum. If they get away with this political prosecution, they’ll keep moving up the ladder.
Reposted by Kevin Vrevich
Removing the memorial to the 49 innocent people killed in the 2016 terrorist attack on the Pulse nightclub, because a rainbow is too political.
Restoring Confederate monuments and renaming military bases after Confederates because, um, honoring armed treason in defense of slavery isn’t political?
Restoring Confederate monuments and renaming military bases after Confederates because, um, honoring armed treason in defense of slavery isn’t political?
Workers under cover of night removed a rainbow crosswalk outside of the former Pulse nightclub, apparently as part of state and federal transportation officials’ aim to wipe “political banners” from public roadways. www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/08/21/r...
Rainbow crosswalk outside Pulse nightclub removed overnight
“We did everything according to state law, everything was compliant,” said Patty Sheehan, the city’s first openly gay elected official. “FDOT never moves that quickly with anything.R…
www.orlandosentinel.com
August 22, 2025 at 3:19 AM
Removing the memorial to the 49 innocent people killed in the 2016 terrorist attack on the Pulse nightclub, because a rainbow is too political.
Restoring Confederate monuments and renaming military bases after Confederates because, um, honoring armed treason in defense of slavery isn’t political?
Restoring Confederate monuments and renaming military bases after Confederates because, um, honoring armed treason in defense of slavery isn’t political?
This is…umm, quite the list.
Breaking news: The White House has increased its pressure on the Smithsonian, calling out a list of exhibitions and materials mentioning race, slavery, transgender identity and immigration to bolster President Trump’s ongoing criticism of the institution.
White House targets ‘woke’ Smithsonian content in new list
The White House on Thursday released an article outlining Smithsonian exhibitions and materials it considers “woke” or anti-American.
wapo.st
August 22, 2025 at 12:57 AM
This is…umm, quite the list.
#skystorians, has anyone written a history of the Sears and Roebuck mail-order houses? I’ll be honest, I’m just curious, that’s all.
August 21, 2025 at 7:03 PM
#skystorians, has anyone written a history of the Sears and Roebuck mail-order houses? I’ll be honest, I’m just curious, that’s all.
And yet…
2 bits of data from new Economist/YouGov poll.....
13% support for cutting research funding to universities. 24% among Republicans. Polling on this continues to be catastrophic for the Rs, suggests Dems should be learning far harder into standing up for science and our universities. 1/
13% support for cutting research funding to universities. 24% among Republicans. Polling on this continues to be catastrophic for the Rs, suggests Dems should be learning far harder into standing up for science and our universities. 1/
August 19, 2025 at 7:20 PM
And yet…
Reposted by Kevin Vrevich
There may be different targets & levers & rationales. But disinvestment in highered has a lot of bipartisan ground. It’s bigger than Trump. & fixing it will be complex if we even can./2
August 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
There may be different targets & levers & rationales. But disinvestment in highered has a lot of bipartisan ground. It’s bigger than Trump. & fixing it will be complex if we even can./2
Reposted by Kevin Vrevich
Ppl who’re surprised about cuts to higher ed in blue states seem to think that disdain for humanities in particular & highered in general is limited to one side of the aisle. This isn’t true./1
August 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
Ppl who’re surprised about cuts to higher ed in blue states seem to think that disdain for humanities in particular & highered in general is limited to one side of the aisle. This isn’t true./1
See, we’re so focused on Trump (understandably) and his attacks on higher education but, as many of us in Connecticut have been screaming about (shout-out @melanienewport.bsky.social), the dismantling of higher education is the rare, unicorn, bi-partisan issue.
A massive attack on several humanities units (Arabic Studies, Judaic Studies, Holocaust Studies, Classics, Religion, German & Scandinavian, Russian/East European/Eurasian Studies) *and* tenure now unfolding at the University of Oregon (a blue state!). Closure of units and faculty layoffs threatened.
August 18, 2025 at 8:25 PM
See, we’re so focused on Trump (understandably) and his attacks on higher education but, as many of us in Connecticut have been screaming about (shout-out @melanienewport.bsky.social), the dismantling of higher education is the rare, unicorn, bi-partisan issue.
Yes. More of this. I could write an oral history of whaling from the whales’ perspective.
AI WhaleBot: Hey! I speak sperm whale!
Sperm Whale: I heap you.
Sperm Whale: I heap you.
Scientists Discover a 'Phonetic Alphabet' Used by Sperm Whales, Moving One Step Closer to Decoding Their Chatter
Researchers used artificial intelligence to spot patterns in recordings of the marine mammals' vocalizations, uncovering the "building blocks of whale language"
www.smithsonianmag.com
August 18, 2025 at 2:19 AM
Yes. More of this. I could write an oral history of whaling from the whales’ perspective.
Okay, if Gemini is the future of AI, it’s basically an early career graduate student. I might be able to live with that.
This is how you know they really did train these models by stealing the work of academics
August 18, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Okay, if Gemini is the future of AI, it’s basically an early career graduate student. I might be able to live with that.
I’m not at #HATM tonight (we were playing a game), but, love Dad movies:
1). I remember war films with my father. Midway and Toro, Toro, Toro are fondly recalled. Recent film in that genre I loved: Tom Hanks’s Greyhound.
2). Greek salad
3). Not Dell! Quality’s really declined!
1). I remember war films with my father. Midway and Toro, Toro, Toro are fondly recalled. Recent film in that genre I loved: Tom Hanks’s Greyhound.
2). Greek salad
3). Not Dell! Quality’s really declined!
That brings us to tonight’s #HATM questions:
1) what are your favorite dad movies?
2) and what’s on the menu at your home tonight?
3) also what laptop should I replace this with? HALP.
1) what are your favorite dad movies?
2) and what’s on the menu at your home tonight?
3) also what laptop should I replace this with? HALP.
August 18, 2025 at 1:01 AM
I’m not at #HATM tonight (we were playing a game), but, love Dad movies:
1). I remember war films with my father. Midway and Toro, Toro, Toro are fondly recalled. Recent film in that genre I loved: Tom Hanks’s Greyhound.
2). Greek salad
3). Not Dell! Quality’s really declined!
1). I remember war films with my father. Midway and Toro, Toro, Toro are fondly recalled. Recent film in that genre I loved: Tom Hanks’s Greyhound.
2). Greek salad
3). Not Dell! Quality’s really declined!
That this type of open corruption has ever been allowed to happen in the United States is sickening. It will take us Millennials our entire lives to clean this up. All because a reality tv star didn’t like being made fun of in 2012 or whatever.
🤔 Shortly after Tim Cook delivered tribute to Trump, Apple announces “a recent U.S. Customs ruling” has allowed it to restore the blood oxygen feature to Apple Watches.
An update on Blood Oxygen for Apple Watch in the U.S.
Apple will introduce a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature for some Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users.
www.apple.com
August 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
That this type of open corruption has ever been allowed to happen in the United States is sickening. It will take us Millennials our entire lives to clean this up. All because a reality tv star didn’t like being made fun of in 2012 or whatever.
Reposted by Kevin Vrevich
"It seems to many professors of the humanities that 'fiscal crisis' has become a pretext for far-reaching changes that are not necessary so much as desired by university leaders... 'Even when traditional liberal learning clearly wins with students and donors, it loses with those in power.'"
They’re Killing the Humanities On Purpose
The crisis is not one of resources but of values.
www.chronicle.com
August 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
"It seems to many professors of the humanities that 'fiscal crisis' has become a pretext for far-reaching changes that are not necessary so much as desired by university leaders... 'Even when traditional liberal learning clearly wins with students and donors, it loses with those in power.'"