Cord J. Whitaker
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profcwhit.bsky.social
Cord J. Whitaker
@profcwhit.bsky.social
200 followers 55 following 43 posts
Professor and author at Wellesley. Substacker at DIVERSITY DIFFERENTLY: https://diversitydifferently.substack.com; Consultant at https://sagelycreative.com.
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profcwhit.bsky.social
Philly area folks, Major benefit concert next weekend! With some of my fave ppl singing and benefiting my fave community orgs @calvaryumcphilly.bsky.social & Calvary Ctr for Culture & Commy. Come! Support Love!
Poster for Benefit Concert Sat, Oct 4, 1 pm for Calvary. At 4801 Baltimore Ave, Philadelphia. Songs of Justice & Inclusion
September 27, 2025 at 6:44 PM
profcwhit.bsky.social
Thursday 7 ET/ 4 PT. Join us for Myth Making, Myth Breaking: California at 175. I’ll be speaking on California as Medieval Dream.
September 17, 2025 at 8:47 PM
profcwhit.bsky.social
From my favorite commentator on the soul, culture, and life: my wife!-on the #Fourth and never asking permission for what’s already yours.
Title: “Freedom Cut Me Loose.” Hello and Happy Friday, In the United States, today is a day that we celebrate our country’s Declaration of Independence from its colonial power, England. This year, as with many before, a lot of people do not feel like celebrating. As an academic, I could tell you lots of stories about the concept of nation, how humans tend to use it to categorize themselves and others, what has worked and what hasn’t in history as far as peaceful coexistence. But I don’t want to go into all of that. You’d certainly stop reading quickly. Instead, I want to talk about Beyoncé. This summer, Beyoncé is touring the world claiming her southern, cowboy heritage, draping herself in the American flag, and stating proudly that you should “never ask permission for what already belongs to you.” It’s genius. And she’s doing work at a level that we can all contribute to. She’s changing what we call in French “l’imaginaire” - the broad common cultural conception of what’s possible. Instead of accepting something the way it is, she’s inserting herself into it and therefore transforming it. She’s saying: “why not me? What if I was never not part of this?” I often read lamentations on social media about how hard it is to be okay at a time when things feel oppressive and harsh. There is a very normal and common tendency for us to match or mirror the experience of others in order to show care. Most of us are trained to do it so early in our lives that we have never not done it. But, what’s powerful, is that when you actually allow yourself to be okay, to claim joy, to stand steady in the knowing of what already belongs to you, then you become a resource. Your okayness works at the level of the imaginary—that’s where seeds grow. What is it to be free now? If you’d like to know more about this practice, follow the links below. We’re starting our easy-access one-month class on July 15th. Leadership coaching is available as well and we’re starting a new program for healthcare and medical professionals soon. Have a lovely weekend, Lesley “If I could not be peaceful in the midst of danger, then the kind of peace I might have in simpler times is meaningless.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
July 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
profcwhit.bsky.social
My nail artist is a freehand badass. Let's do this! GO BIRDS!!! 🦅 #flyeaglesfly
February 8, 2025 at 5:06 PM
profcwhit.bsky.social
A conference worth attending if you can. It’s always a treat to hear Alastair Minnis—and St Andrews is nice in July!
Poster for Global Glossing: Transnational Commentary in the Later Middle Ages. A conference to be held July 19 at U of St Andrew’s, in person and online
January 19, 2025 at 1:18 PM
profcwhit.bsky.social
Also, a new favorite lately.
Poem: “Hope Is Not a Bird, Emily, It’s a Sewer Rat” (Caitlin Seida) Hope is not the thing with feathers That comes home to roost When you need it most. [Poem continues from here and can be found in its entirety in accessible formats online]
December 3, 2024 at 5:51 PM