Nicole Lee Schroeder, PhD Profile picture
Nov 9, 2024 9 tweets 2 min read Read on X
It is a really jarring moment to be a historian. To know what might be coming is alarming. To realize that no one around you sees it or acknowledges it is a weird place to be in. Its like time traveling without time traveling. 1/8
I study the 19th century and the 2020s look a lot like 1820s. Frequent epidemics? Check. Inflation? Check. Xenophobia and deportation schemes? Check. Womens rights losses? Check. Rampant backlash against womens economic freedoms and jobs outside the home? Check. 2/8
Growth of carceral facilities? Check. Legislation to forcibly institutionalize disabled people? Check. Targeted attacks on Indigenous peoples? Check. Extreme religious fervor? Check. Efforts to shape public school curriculum with religious rhetoric? Check. Tariffs? Check. 3/8
The antebellum era was a time of progress, but it was also a time fuelled by hate. Slavery fuelled the economy, and antislavery efforts were not very radical on the whole. Hatred against immigrants was widespread and poverty was extensive. 4/8
Everything we are seeing right now happened in the early 1800s. And these choices were fuelled by white supremacy, misogyny, and xenophobia. I really wish more people understood that we've been here and done this. Life only got better for those who actively oppressed others. 5/8
Its time to learn from that history if you havent already. We cannot go back to that. For anyone despairing, its also time to learn from the radical activists who shaped resistance. 19th century activists didnt lose hope, we cannot lose hope either. 6/8
Abolitionists, womens rights organizers, workers rights unions, disability rights orgs, and pro-immigration orgs did the work under far worse circumstances with very little global solidarity. We have better tools, connections, and resources. 7/8
If youre in despair, pick up a history book. Before every win for human rights came a fight for it. We are now a part of that fight. We are not alone. We have all of these histories to guide us. 8/8
People have been asking for book recs - I will make a google sheet next week with some recs! This weekend I am resting, spending time in nature, and making crafts. The work to protect human rights never stops - carve out rest when/where you can.

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More from @Nicole_Lee_Sch

Feb 20
Glad that people love history. However, if you're not masking in public spaces, YOU are setting the tone for the eugenic platform. One of the easiest things you can do is think about high risk people. We need to go to school, the doctor, the store. We deserve access. 1/6
If you're spreading disabling and deadly diseases, then you're telling high risk people you dont care about their autonomy, human rights, or inclusion. And youre agreeing that its cool to lock us away or kill us. 2/6
It's not JUST that the eugenics movement is in full swing. Eugenicists are out in full these last few weeks, but this just compounds on top of what has been a terrible 5 years where high risk people have been told to go die. 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Feb 19
If you're struggling to understand how eugenics impacts daily life right now, I recommend going back to the historical records to see how the eugenics movement took off 100 years ago. We need to be able to recognize it when we see it, so that we can push back and resist. 1/13
Luckily, historians and archivists have done a great job digitizing this content for us. Multiple archives, including the APS (which I cite exclusively from in this thread) contributed ditigized materials to the Eugenics Archive which is open access: 2/13eugenicsarchive.org/eugenics/list3…
The eugenics movement was dominated by scientists, educators, charitable leaders, and billionaires (ahem) who believed they could create an "ideal" human race by eradicating anyone they deemed "unfit." This included non-white, queer, and disabled ppl amongst others. 3/13
Read 14 tweets
Feb 5
Section 504 sit ins were successful because disabled people DID NOT make space for politicians to ignore them. They occupied buildings, laid down in front of busses, and made a spectacle that the nation could not ignore. 1/8
I understand that conditions are different. We are still in an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Protests have not been made safe for high risk peoples. But this is a reminder for everyone marching - sometimes occupying a building is just as much of a disruption as marching. 2/8
The 504 sit ins worked because disabled people kept at it each day. Disabled people tapped into advocacy networks to secure news coverage and attention. Other activist groups like the Black Panthers coordinated resources so that disabled people COULD sustain the protest. 3/8
Read 9 tweets
Jan 31
I presume that Trump is talking about the fact that the FAA has a hiring pathway for disabled people, known as Schedule A hiring. If youre not aware of what that is, it exists bc the fed govt is SO BAD at hiring disabled people. 1/6
Schedule A hiring allows disabled people in the US to apply for govt jobs without competing with the public for said jobs. Similar to veterans and other groups, it offers an expedited pathway to employment. 2/6
You still need to prove that you are FIT for the job. You still have to interview, undergo any mandatory onboarding, and if its a classified job or something important you still need to pass all normal hiring processes. 3/6
Read 6 tweets
Dec 15, 2024
I live in an urban space where its been hard to get to nature (I dont have a car, and public transit is dismal here). So I challenged myself this year to take whatever photos I could in the few green spaces I can access. Theyre just phone photos, but I hope you enjoy! 1/11
Found this fierce hunter at the local park 2/11 A large bird standing over an animal its hunted. It has a white chest with brown speckled wings and a sharp crooked beak.
This majestic creature was lurking about our shitty campus fountain/manmade lake on a rainy day. 3/11 A white crane with a long neck poking through fluffy brown reeds. You can see water and lake plants behind it.
Read 11 tweets
Dec 9, 2024
This happens because people dont take disability seriously. They assume food requests are about preferences rather than life threatening allergies. And we see similar takes all across disability experiences. 1/11
Ive seen tons of posts from blaming and shaming to arguments we should all have epi pens. I just want to add: we need medical bystander training. Most people do not know what epi does, or how to use it, and our pens are difficult. 2/11
Epi pens arent a perfect solution. An allergic reaction can escalate rapidly and it doesnt initially have to include airway issues to qualify as anaphylaxis. Many people assume its easy to spot, its not. 3/11
Read 12 tweets

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