Sheila Curran Bernard
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scbernard.bsky.social
Sheila Curran Bernard
@scbernard.bsky.social
680 followers 1.4K following 240 posts
Emmy & Peabody award winner, filmmaker, professor, author, consultant. Nonfiction narrative, US history, public history. Credits on books, films, and TV series. No DMs. Please visit https://www.sheilacurranbernard.com.
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scbernard.bsky.social
NPR's Tiny Desk Concert with The Doobie Brothers (!) and my book, "Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies" is on top of the stack in front of Michael McDonald! (Black cover, orange lettering) - #music #rock #LeadBelly @universitypress.cambridge.org @npr.org
The Doobie Brothers playing a "Tiny Desk Concert" at NPR, with a stack of books in front of them on a shelf.
November 9, 2025 at 4:31 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
A sticker from Albany area voting with a dog (Nipper) and butterfly on its nose, tulips, and a cartoonish drawing of downtown.
October 31, 2025 at 7:13 PM
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“A special nod went to Sheila Curran Bernard for Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly’s Truths from Jim Crow’s Lies, a historical reclamation that pulls no punches in unpacking the racism surrounding one of America’s greatest folk voices.” Music Connection re: 2025 ASCAP Taylor/Thomson Awards.
October 31, 2025 at 3:41 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
In his senescense he’s returned to his comfort days of construction, encouraged by those around him so they can pursue their destruction of everything else.
Images of trump desecrating the Kennedy Center under the guise of “improvement”
October 27, 2025 at 10:43 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
Current USDA website. Falsehoods abound.
Official usda website with statement: “Senate Democrats have now voted 12 times to not fund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to hold out for healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures or reopen the government so mothers, babies, and the most vulnerable among us can receive critical nutrition assistance.”
October 27, 2025 at 11:47 AM
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July 28, 2025 at 10:41 PM
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July 24, 2025 at 7:29 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
Bring Judgment Day is back on the top of the pile @npr.org Tiny Desk Concerts! @universitypress.cambridge.org
July 24, 2025 at 3:10 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
As visual metaphors go, this one's on track. 2025 at left. 2014 at right.
July 23, 2025 at 9:12 PM
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2/4: "What happened in Germany? Fully 600,000 reckless young men, armed against the workmen and Jews, have been turned loose upon the population. Probably even Captain Goering did not anticipate that they would go to such extremes."
Others, including women and children, were dragged out of motor-cars and beaten. I heard the despairing stories of women whose husbands had been dragged from bed, inhumanly beaten and have since disappeared. Day after day bodies have been discovered, mutilated beyond identification. The compatriots to Captain Goering were met with a shrug and the remark: 'Where timber is planted the shavings must drop off.' What happened in Germany? Fully 600,000 reckless young men, armed against the workmen and Jews, have been turned loose upon the population. Probably even Captain Goering did not anticipate that they would go to such extremes. It is terrible to think that we shall never know how many people have been killed."
July 3, 2025 at 7:59 PM
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These are the toilets. No privacy. The smells will be awful. The hygiene will be a nightmare. From a Fox News report, www.foxnews.com/politics/ins...
Inside the new prison camp in Florida, 3 troopers are dude by side in full view of anyone, beside cages with bunks
July 2, 2025 at 6:36 PM
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March 22, 1933, p. 7 of the Mackay Daily Mercury, Queensland, Australia "The extent of the 'terror' is measurable by the Munich police president Himmler's announcement that the first concentration camp of 5000 prisoners is being organized near Dachau." Headline: "Gaols [jails] overflowing."
Headline: Nazi Excesses/Worse than during war/number of dead unknown. (Australian Cable Service). The German Chancellor (Herr Hitler) is demanding from the Reichstag absolute dictatorial powers. It is staged that these, if granted, will surpass those enjoyed by M. Stalin or Signor Mussolini. London, March 20: - "The year 1933 is the darkest in the last five centuries for German culture," said Dr. Lion Feuchtwanger, the famous author of "Jew Sues," who is returning from America, intending to travel to Berlin. He said: "I met in Paris the first German refugees, who told me dreadful stories, compared with which the war-time atrocities paled. The narrators are reliable members of the Centre party, Democrats and Pacifists. They said they witnessed attempts to through people out of moving underground trains because they looked like Jews. Others, including women and children, were dragged out of motor-cars and beaten. I heard the despairing stories of women whose husbands had been dragged from bed, inhumanly beaten and have since disappeared. Day after day bodies have been discovered, mutilated beyond identification. The compatriots to Captain Goering were met with a shrug and the remark: 'Where timber is planted the shavings must drop off.' What happened in Germany? Fully 600,000 reckless young men, armed against the workmen and Jews, have been turned loose upon the population. Probably even Captain Goering did not anticipate that they would go to such extremes. It is terrible to think that we shall never know how many people have been killed." Gaols Overflowing/Organization of Concentration Camps. "The correspondence in Berlin of the 'Guardian' says: The extent of the 'terror' is measurable by the Munich police president Himmler's announcement that the first concentration camp of 5000 prisoners is being organized near Dachau. He added that it would be impossible to accommodate the Communists, Marxists, and Reich bannerites in the State prisons, and it would be impossible to release them, because they were sure to again start an agitation. The Dachau camp will be only one of many. The police statement indicates that Socialists and Republicans will be treated in the same way as the Communists. The drive against the Socialists is expected to culminate after the adjournment of the Reichstag next week. The police unsuccessfully searched Professor Einstein's house for arms. CLEAN-UP ONLY BEGINNING Berlin, March 20 – Germany’s apprehension has been increased by Herr Hitler’s alarming threats on scanty evidence, and has filled peace lovers with misgivings. The Nazi Commissioner (Herr Wagner), a Badenite, said that though the Marxists had been expelled from office throughout Germany, the essential clean-up was only beginning, and that it would be effected with the utmost ruthlessness. The commissioner of Wurtemburg announces that threatened persons may yield themselves to preventive arrest. Headline: "Blank Cheque": Demanded by Hitler. (Discusses the "Enabling Bill") "Henceforth Herr Hitler's signature will suffice for the laws of the Reich instead of the President's. Parliament is entirely excluded from legislative work unless the Government invites its cooperation..... If the Enabling Bill is passed, the Hitler Government will be endowed with absolute dictatorial powers.... It will even be able to alter the constitution at will, because the bill strips the President of all his functions except that of Chief of the Army, which it is stated, could be abolished by a decree, thus placing the army under the Cabinet's control.
July 1, 2025 at 5:17 PM
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Jeopardy 6/27/2025: Toxic Culture for $2000 -- "Blues musician Huddie Ledbetter is better known by this stage name.” None of the contestants knew. #LeadBelly
A still shot of the Jeopardy categories board, partially played, with the categories remaining: World History; Now It's a Museum; Get a Room; Toxic Culture; and Words from Asian Languages. On the Jeopardy tv screen, a black and white photo of Black musician Huddie Ledbetter, about 40s, wearing a suit and tie and posing as he plays a 12-string guitar.
June 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
At the top of the #Angola record is an alias, "Walter Boyd," used in #DeKalb (Bowie County, TX) after he ran from a Harrison County chain gang. See his alias in this farmer's ledger, on a page begun Feb 5, 1917. Below is the name of a man #LeadBelly was later charged with killing... Details in book.
Page in an old farmer's account book, from around 1915-1920, DeKalb, Texas. Handwriting in pencil, p. 33, keeping track of "Walter Boyd" with the page dated at the top 2/5/1917.
June 26, 2025 at 6:59 PM
scbernard.bsky.social
June 1933, the Lomaxes first met #LeadBelly in the Louisiana #prison at #Angola. He was railroaded by corruption and racism, and shouldn’t have been there at all. #history #JimCrow. He was released August 1934 due to good time (see record), not the Lomaxes. Read more @universitypress.cambridge.org.
Men in prison stripes stand behind tall barbed wire fence, in front of a low building. Most wear hats in the summer sun. Louisiana State Penitentiary prison record for Huddie Ledbetter, aka Lead Belly. Book cover, Lead Belly in his 50s, wearing a suit and standing in front of an American flag and behind a microphone as he plays a 12-string guitar. Title of book is: "Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies."
June 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
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In June 1915, 26-year-old musician Huddie Ledbetter (#LeadBelly) traveled from Dallas to his family’s farm in Leigh, Texas, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of #Juneteenth. It began a devastating period: his parents were cheated out of half their farm, and Ledbetter ended up on a chain gang.
Black and white photo from ~1910-1914 of a young Lead Belly in a sort of tuxedo, posed with a bowler hat and cane for a studio portrait with a painted classical backdrop.
June 18, 2025 at 10:29 PM
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Lyrics to “Fortunate Son”
Some folks are born made to wave the flag Hoo, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the chief" Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no senator's son, son It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no furtunate one, no Some folks are born silver spoon in hand Lord, don't they help themselves, Lord? But when the taxman come to the door Lord, the house lookin' like a rummage sale, yeah It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no Yeah-yeah, some folks inherit star-spangled eyes Hoo, they send you down to war, Lord And when you ask 'em, "How much should we give?" Hoo, they only answer, "More, more, more, more" It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no military son, son, Lord It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, one It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me I ain't no fortunate son, no, no, no It ain't me, it ain't me... Source: Musixmatch
June 15, 2025 at 11:45 AM
scbernard.bsky.social
Seeger and the Weavers' recording of Ledbetter's signature song -- "Goodnight, Irene" -- topped the Billboard charts in June 1950, just six months after Ledbetter's death. (Also in 1950, became the signature song of England's Bristol Rovers.) #LeadBelly #History
May 3, 2025 at 5:07 PM
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They did. It was ridiculous.
April 28, 2025 at 11:52 AM
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Consider @kenlburns.bsky.social, "America's Storyteller," an #NEH Jefferson Lecturer in 2016. By then, 15 of his 27 films (and there have been many more since) were made with the important support of the #NEH.
April 3, 2025 at 11:10 PM
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Consider the many, many high-quality books supported by @nehgov.bsky.social. Or the many films they've supported, rigorously vetted and used in classroom and community settings, such as @twincitiespbs.bsky.social "Slavery by Another Name." Or @pbs.org "I'll Make Me a World."
April 3, 2025 at 11:04 PM
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Support for this book, which took over a decade to write, came in part with the honor of a 2021-22 @nehgov.bsky.social Public Scholar Award. It looks at the early life of Huddie Ledbetter -- aka #LeadBelly. "Without Lead Belly, no Beatles," George Harrison once said. He was a major, major influence.
April 3, 2025 at 10:43 PM
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Deleted account and then thought better of it. #LeadBelly #Music #History #BlackHistory #CivilRights #Documentary #Books #Films #Nonfiction #Blues #Guitar #storytelling @cambridgeup.bsky.social
Book cover, Huddie Ledbetter playing guitar; title is "Bring Judgment Day: Reclaiming Lead Belly's Truths from Jim Crow's Lies." Orange lettering over black and white photo.
March 24, 2025 at 4:13 PM