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@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 30, 2026, 12:37 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Today in history, 1951: The Sojourners for Truth and Justice begin a three-day assembly in Washington, D.C., with a march and silent vigil on the White House lawn. More than 132 Black women from 14 states arrived in the capital to demand federal action against racial terror. /1

Members of the Sojourners for Truth and Justice gather during their initial mobilization, Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, 1951. More than 132 African American women from 14 states descended on the nation’s capital to demand an end to racial violence, Jim Crow laws and the systemic oppression of Black women. While the poor quality of the photo makes it difficult to pinpoint every face from left to right, several core organizers and notable figures are prominent in the center-front cluster: Louise Thompson Patterson, Charlotta Bass, Shirley Graham Du Bois and Eslanda Goode Robeson. Other trailblazing figures who participated in the Washington, D.C., delegation included legendary activist Mary Church Terrell, journalist Claudia Jones and a young Lorraine Hansberry, who read the group’s manifesto aloud during the convention.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 29, 2026, 12:41 AM

#ResistanceRoots

The fight for universal healthcare may seem like a relatively recent phenomenon, dating from President Truman’s failed proposal for a national, publicly funded health insurance system in 1945. However, the fight goes back to the 1910s, and it’s linked to anti-labor forces. /1

President Truman addresses a joint session of Congress. On Nov. 19, 1945, Truman sent a groundbreaking Special Message to Congress recommending a comprehensive national health program. His five-part strategy included constructing hospitals and health centers, expanding public health services, investing in medical research and education, providing cash benefits and disability insurance to workers, and prepaid national health insurance. The American Medical Association launched a campaign against it, condemning the plan as “socialized medicine” and comparing it to communism during the early years of the Cold War. By 1946, “conservative” Repubs controlled both houses of Congress and blocked the bill. Truman tried again with subsequent messages to Congress, but the legislative effort ultimately failed. Truman later called this defeat the most troubling disappointment of his presidency. Photo credit: Harry S. Truman Library.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 11:46 PM

#ResistanceRoots

Joseph Henry Sharp was born on this day in 1859 in Bridgeport, Ohio. A classically trained painter, he was captivated by the Southwest and focused on documenting tribal cultures and individual personalities. He became known as the Spiritual Father of the Taos Society of Artists. /1

Joseph Henry Sharp, ca. 1900. Sharp was a masterful visual historian and the visionary catalyst for New Mexico’s global art standing. His deafness, which began in childhood, became a professional asset, allowing him to bypass linguistic barriers to earn the trust of Indigenous models who rejected other white portraitists. Operating with a sense of urgency, yet treating his subjects with patience and respect, Sharp preserved the faces of a generation of Native Americans whose ways of life were under assault. His collection of more than 7,000 Western works, including his portraits of Little Bighorn survivors, stands as an irreplaceable historical archive. Sharp also set off the chain of events that birthed the Taos Society of Artists, transforming an isolated mountain village into an international powerhouse of American fine art.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 3:37 PM

#ResistanceRoots

“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.”
— Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow, 1954. Murrow made this statement during his See It Now television broadcast on Senator Joseph McCarthy, March 9, 1954. Murrow’s decision to confront McCarthy on national television took immense journalistic courage at a time when fear was the dominant social currency. Photo credit: UPI / Bettmann / Corbis.

@eddsmitty.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 1:36 PM

⚠️WOKE CONTENT⚠️™️

🧵On Feb. 26, 1931, the INS under the orders of Herbert Hoover deported up to 1.8 million people to Mexico. An investigation in 2004 revealed 60% were U.S. citizens.

Pull up a seat🪑. (cont)

#ProudBlue
#ResistanceRoots
#USDemocracy
#Voices4Victory

www.history.com/articles/the...

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 27, 2026, 12:40 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Johnny Appleseed was born on this day in 1774 in Leominster, Province of Massachusetts Bay. He was a real person, and he planted a lot of apple trees, but he mainly sold them to make hard cider. He was also a pacifist, altruistic, revered nature and respected Indigenous tribes. /1

Johnny Appleseed. The romanticized image of Johnny Appleseed handing out sweet, shiny apples for children to bite into is a myth popularized much later. In the 1800s, the American frontier ran on alcohol. Water supplies weren’t safe to drink. Because fermenting killed off pathogens, hard cider became the primary daily beverage for entire families — even children. The average frontier settler drank 10.5 ounces of hard cider per day. Because Appleseed refused to graft trees due to his religious beliefs, his apples were genetically unpredictable, small and bitter. Known as “spitters” because you’d spit them out if you tried to eat them raw, these tart apples were perfect for pressing into hard cider. Resourceful frontier families used them for other staples as well, including apple butter, applesauce and livestock feed, and used a process called “freeze distillation” to make applejack. Note, however, that Appleseed rarely sold apples. He sold the young saplings and the land itself.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 26, 2026, 12:38 AM

#ResistanceRoots

bell hooks was born on this day in 1952 in Hopkinsville, Ky. She was an author, educator, feminist and social critic whose work transformed contemporary discussions on gender, race and class. She pioneered the concept that these systems intersect to sustain social oppression. /1

bell hooks. hooks changed how the world understands power, education and human connection. Rather than confining her revolutionary ideas to the walls of academia, she dedicated her life to building a public philosophy that made radical critique accessible. She laid the foundation for theories of intersectionality, transforming modern understanding of race, gender and class. She argued that racism, sexism and class exploitation operate together, and highlighted the overlooked struggles of Black women. Her system of “engaged pedagogy” treated education as a practice of freedom and empowerment, while her politics of affection framed love as a transformative, public practice necessary to dismantle systemic oppression and encourage the healthy emotional growth of men. She wrote without academic jargon so her ideas could reach everyday people, serving as a voice for liberation, love and community. Photo credit: UC Santa Cruz.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 25, 2026, 12:35 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was born on this day in 1825 in Baltimore, Md. She was an abolitionist, suffragist, orator and one of the first Black women to be published in the U.S. She had remarkable opportunities that she used to lift others rather than for personal privilege. /1

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper in 1893, a photo that appeared in L.A. Scruggs’ book Women of Distinction: Remarkable in Works and Invincible in Character, published that same year. Harper stands as one of the most prolific, versatile and influential architects of American social reform. A century before the term “intersectionality” existed, she championed the idea that human rights are indivisible. As a lecturer, she helped galvanize public opinion against slavery and demand that newly emancipated people be guaranteed voting rights. As a gifted writer, she weaponized fiction and poetry to humanize the enslaved and combat patriarchy. Through her journalism, she challenged white supremacist violence, demanded that political leadership be held accountable and mobilized the Black community. Ultimately, Harper dedicated every gift she possessed — her voice, her pen, her education and her income — to the collective uplift of her people.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 24, 2026, 12:51 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Amzie Moore was born on this day in 1911 in Grenada County, Miss. He was a civil rights leader and entrepreneur who believed in quiet leadership. He used his businesses to strengthen local Black power, protect activists and build infrastructure that helped support the movement. /1

Amzie Moore, 1963. Photo by Harvey Richards. Moore chose behind-the-scenes organizing over the public spotlight. Rather than delivering televised speeches, his leadership model focused on building local power and enduring severe risks over decades to create lasting systemic change. Moore believed that true empowerment meant giving local citizens the tools to lead themselves. He used his gas station and home as sanctuaries for activists. He persevered by maintaining psychological fortitude against constant threats and finding ways to sustain his businesses when white supremacists tried to bankrupt him. He also understood that progress is incremental and that true civil rights required a holistic approach. He spent his final decades ensuring that the people he had helped register to vote had roofs over their heads, schools for their children and the political platforms required to control their own destiny. Photo credit: Paul Richards.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 23, 2026, 12:42 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Today in history, 1919: The Great Steel Strike begins. More than 350,000 steelworkers walked off the job to protest harsh post-WWI working conditions. The media narrative played up public anxiety following the 1917 Russian Revolution, feeding directly into the First Red Scare. /1

Steel mill workers in Chicago hold bulletins with the headline “STRIKE!” during the Great Steel Strike of 1919. The Great Steel Strike of 1919 stands as one of the largest and most bitterly fought industrial conflicts in American history. Steelworkers faced brutal conditions and poverty-level. By mobilizing more than 350,000 workers across 50 cities, the strike paralyzed half of the nation’s steel infrastructure all at once. However, the steel companies broke the strike with a three-pronged strategy: stoking fears of Bolshevik radicals, exploiting racial and ethnic division, and securing martial law to physically crush picket lines and suspend civil liberties. Ultimately, the strike ended in a devastating, total defeat for organized labor, shaping the American economic and political landscape for decades. Photo credit: Bettmann Archive / Getty Images.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 22, 2026, 12:44 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Frances Mary Albrier was born on this day in 1898 in Mount Vernon, N.Y. She was a civil rights activist, labor organizer and political leader who spent almost 60 years fighting for racial and gender equality, breaking political and professional barriers for Black women. /1

Frances Mary Albrier wearing a Red Cross uniform, ca. 1942. Albrier built a towering legacy as an architect of the West Coast civil rights and labor infrastructure. Over nearly six decades, her relentless advocacy reshaped the social, economic and political landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area. She shattered professional color lines, integrated West Coast education and became a pioneering political representative. Long before the term existed, Albrier lived intersectionality, championing the rights of Black Americans, women, workers, senior citizens and global communities. Her legacy was built on a practical philosophy: She transformed ordinary taxpayers into an organized political force, proving that systemic barriers only stand until someone determines to break them. By the time she died in 1987, she had seen the Ast Bay transform from a highly segregated wartime hub into one of the most diverse political landscapes in America.

@waveofhopepatrol.bsky.social Sep 21, 2026, 12:15 AM

Addendum: must read thread of NASA mathematician Dorothy Vaughan
#ResistanceRoots
bsky.app/profile/bamb...
Thanks to @bambooshooti.bsky.social for the information

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 11:46 PM

#ResistanceRoots

Dorothy Vaughan was born on this day in 1910 in Kansas City, Mo. She was a mathematician, human computer and computer programmer who became the first African American supervisor at NASA. Throughout her career, she fought for equal pay and advancements and promotions for women. /1

Dorothy Vaughan in 1971, the year she retired from NASA. Vaughan was a visionary pioneer for women in STEM and a foundational architect of the U.S. space program. She broke through the dual barriers of Jim Crow segregation and gender discrimination to alter the course of aerospace history. Her calculations and FORTRAN programming laid the groundwork for America’s early aerospace achievements. By becoming NACA’s first African American supervisor in 1949, Vaughan cracked open doors that had been firmly shut to women of color. She spent her tenure as Section Head fighting for equal pay, promotions and engineering assignments for both Black and white women across the agency. When electronic computers arrived, she taught herself FORTRAN and trained her staff, saving dozens of Black women from layoffs and transitioning them into high-tech careers. Vaughan stands today as a symbol of resilience, intellectual brilliance and the indispensable power of community.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 3:32 PM

#ResistanceRoots

“The greatest danger to our future is apathy."
— Dr. Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall. Photo credit: Guerin Blask / New York Times.

@eddsmitty.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 11:09 AM

🧵 Today, we're going to delve into the remarkable story of James Forten—a Revolutionary War veteran and former P.O.W.

He became one of the most influential Black abolitionists in early American history. Pull up a seat🪑, my friends. (cont)
#ProudBlue
#ResistanceRoots
#USDemocracy
#Voices4Victory

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 1:11 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Pablita Velarde was born on this day in 1918 in Santa Clara Pueblo, N.M. She pursued painting at a time when it was not acceptable for Pueblo women. Her “memory paintings” document the traditions, culture and history of her community layered with subtle, indomitable feminism. /1

Pablita Velarde. By defying strict centuries-old traditions that reserved two-dimensional painting for men, Velarde claimed a permanent seat for women in the modern Native art market. She also transformed the act of painting into a weapon of survival against cultural erasure. Through her meticulous “memory paintings,” she created a visual archive of Pueblo ceremonies, architecture and daily domestic life that honors her people’s history as they lived it. Her innovative return to the land — physically grinding desert minerals, clays and rocks on a stone metate to build her layered, sculptural earth paintings — pioneered a new aesthetic. She proved that modern Native art did not have to rely on commercial Western materials to be considered fine art, grounding her canvas in the soil of her ancestors. Ultimately, she passed the torch down to later generations of world-class artists, ensuring that the Native female voice would never be silenced in the history of art.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 19, 2026, 12:39 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Today in history, 1873: Jay Cooke & Company declares bankruptcy, sparking the Panic of 1873. The catastrophic financial crisis lasted longer than the Great Depression and was in many ways more brutal for ordinary people. We can trace who we are today to its economic devastation. /1

“The Rush from the New York Stock Exchange on September 18, 1873,” by Howard Pyle. There are clear parallels between the Panic of 1873 and today. The crisis wasn’t caused by a lack of wealth. It was caused by irrational exuberance over a revolutionary technology: the railroad. Investors poured billions into laying tracks that led nowhere, assuming the boom would never end. The post-Civil War era also saw the rise of the first mega-corporations, which wielded total control over their employees’ lives and wages. A divide opened between struggling farmers and workers and wealthy Eastern bankers. The farmers felt the “coastal elites” and politicians in Washington were rigging the monetary system against them. In short, the Panic of 1873 was the painful birth of modern industrial capitalism. It proved that an unregulated corporate economy could grow spectacularly, but would also crash brutally.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 12:39 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Today in history, 1925: Frida Kahlo forgets her umbrella. That simple, everyday annoyance turned out to be a life-changing event that put her on a trajectory to become a world-renowned artist. She became a sharp social critic who used her art as the canvas for political dissent. /1

Frida Kahlo paints a portrait of Jean Wight, the wife of artist Clifford Wight, who assisted Diego Rivera, Kahlo’s husband, when he was painting murals throughout the U.S., 1931. After she was critically injured in an accident on Sept. 17, 1925, Kahlo abandoned her planned career in medicine to become an artist. Operating within the realms of surrealism and magical realism, her work explored themes of identity, the human body, gender and death. Today, she is celebrated worldwide for her uncompromising, brilliantly colored self-portraits. She is also a global icon for feminism, LGBTQ+ communities and Mexican indigenous heritage. Though overshadowed by Rivera during her lifetime, her status surged posthumously into global “Fridamania.” Her childhood home in Coyoacán, La Casa Azul (The Blue House), is now one of the most visited museums in Mexico City. Photo credit: Bettmann / Getty Images.

@bambooshooti.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 12:41 AM

#ResistanceRoots

Henry Louis Gates Jr. was born on this day in 1950 in Keyser, W.V. Best known for hosting the PBS series Finding Your Roots, he is a world-renowned literary scholar, historian, filmmaker and cultural critic who helps bridge the gap between academic scholarship and popular media. /1

Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. in 2016. His journey has taken him from a planned career in medicine to a shift to history and Black literature to bringing rigorous genealogical research to public television audiences. This divergent path is rooted in a common objective: uncovering the hidden histories of African Americans. He has revolutionized the study of Black literature by uncovering its historical foundations and distinct structure. His unique approach to genealogy blends history with science, oral traditions and family mythologies. He has also worked to recover and preserve lost texts and elevate African American literature to the level of the European literary canon. His work continues to shape the study of history and literature while also giving non-scholars access to the tools needed to find their roots.