Unpacking and Unpacking ASA

It’s been a while since my last post but not without reasons For starters, another wrestling season in the the books. The team had a pretty good run this year and I couldn’t be prouder. In other news, I finally closed on a house. Signed the papers on March 3rd (Friday), moved in over the next two days. Then, the next weekend, I went to the annual Appalachian Studies Conference. So needless to say, I’ve been busy and I still haven’t unpacked everything…it’s a process. Nor have I had the opportunity to unpack the various sessions and highlights of this year’s conference; post forthcoming. Now that I seem to have gotten over this hill of a busy schedule, I plan on updating the blog on a more frequent basis. Starting with a follow up post about this year’s ASA Conference. Until then, enjoy this piece from the legendary and recently deceased Chuck Berry.

40th Annual Appalachian Studies Association Conference

The count down has begun. In almost two months I will be presenting at the 40th Annual Appalachian Studies Association Conference. This is one of my favorite academic conferences so needless to say, I am excited to be able to attend and present. This year’s conference will be held at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. I’m hoping to get there a day early in order to enjoy some sights and sounds. My presentation is scheduled for Friday, the first day of the conference. Details are blow.

Guest Post: Why I Marched on January 21, 2017

Yesterday the Women’s March took place. If the captivating images of this event are any indicator, I have no doubt I will one day teach this to my U.S. History classes. Unfortunately, my duties as a wrestling coach kept me from participating in this historic event. This left me following the march in spirit as I read posts, watched videos, and looked at photos from many of my friends in attendance. One such friend, Isabel Otero, was kind enough to put her emotions into words and provide this guest post. Her second on this blog.

Today in Education: “Crawling with Outsiders and Foreigners”

Every once in a while in education the planets seem to align and the stars shine bright enough to allow for a brief moment in time where everything fits together. Today was one of those days. 

The Electoral College: Introduction and the 2016 Presidential Race

Well, it’s finally over. The 2016 Presidential election, it’s done. What seemed like a sad reality show come to life finally ended and the results are clear. America chose Hillary Clinton for President. Almost 2.9 million more Americans preferred Clinton, as a matter of fact. Clinton took 48.2% of the popular vote, or 65,844,954 votes to Donald Trump’s 46.1% or 62,979, 879 votes. However, despite Clinton winning in a clear landslide vote vs vote, Donald Trump won the Presidential Election by attaining 306 Electoral Votes to Clinton’s 232; this made Donald President Elect and left Clinton with more votes than any other losing Presidential candidate in U.S. History. 

From the Holler!: New Year’s Edition

The unofficial hiatus is over.  I taught another class at the University of North Georgia, which was an absolute thrill. I finished up my first semester teaching at West Hall High School, another amazing experience. Additionally, I worked some on the side with friends on a new political blog/podcast. We’re still ironing out the kinks on that project. I cannot begin to count the number of times I’ve sat down to write a new post, or share an event, only to get sidetracked. However, it is my New Years Resolution to be more attentive toward this blog. What better way to start the year than some recent highlights? 

The Birth of a Nation: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Back in April I posted about an upcoming film, The Birth of a Nation, that is coming to theaters this year.  I thought then, and still do now, that the movie comes at a much needed time as the country struggles to come to terms with its current racial dilemma. Additionally, I was excited at the prospect of a movie which covers a time and topic in history that is often overlooked; slave rebellions. That was before Gabrielle Union’s op-ed about Nate Parker’s rape allegations grabbed my attention. 

More Confederate Flags and Donald Trump

Donald Trump spokeswoman supporter Kayleigh McEnany sought to educate former South Carolina legislator Bakari Sellers on CNN the other night about the meaning and history of the Confederate Battle Flag. Needless to say, opinions varied widely. Here is the exchange. 

Hillary Becomes the Nominee

Regardless of your political identity, you have to admit this is pretty historic.

Police Officer Fired Over Confederate Flag

The headline pretty much says it all.

A Roswell pastor said a police officer was fired on Thursday after the Roswell Police chief received a complaint that a Confederate flag was flying outside the officer’s house where an official police vehicle was parked in the driveway.

Read the rest at the Atlanta Journal Constitution.