etienne toussaint
@etiennetoussaint.bsky.social
proud husband + dad of 3 boys | Law Professor writing at the intersection of academia, justice, and the pursuit of purpose
www.thetenuretrack.com | freedompapers.substack.com
www.thetenuretrack.com | freedompapers.substack.com
Pinned
Stuck in endless drafts?
Most legal scholars waste 60–80% of writing time because they build without a blueprint.
My new guide, Law Review Launchpad, gives you a 6-step system to turn ideas into clear outlines & publishable articles.
👉https://thetenuretrack.gumroad.com/l/aikclp
Most legal scholars waste 60–80% of writing time because they build without a blueprint.
My new guide, Law Review Launchpad, gives you a 6-step system to turn ideas into clear outlines & publishable articles.
👉https://thetenuretrack.gumroad.com/l/aikclp
Want Your Research to Matter? Make It Visible.
Groundbreaking work means nothing if no one sees it.
Most research stays locked in journals, but visibility builds impact.
Here’s how to make your work accessible and influential. 🧵⤵️
Groundbreaking work means nothing if no one sees it.
Most research stays locked in journals, but visibility builds impact.
Here’s how to make your work accessible and influential. 🧵⤵️
November 25, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Want Your Research to Matter? Make It Visible.
Groundbreaking work means nothing if no one sees it.
Most research stays locked in journals, but visibility builds impact.
Here’s how to make your work accessible and influential. 🧵⤵️
Groundbreaking work means nothing if no one sees it.
Most research stays locked in journals, but visibility builds impact.
Here’s how to make your work accessible and influential. 🧵⤵️
Since the dawn of time, stories have captured our histories, ideas, and beliefs.
In academia, we often focus on theory.
But the power of stories lies in their ability to heal, uplift, and renew by reflecting personal struggles, growth, and dreams. 🧵⤵️
In academia, we often focus on theory.
But the power of stories lies in their ability to heal, uplift, and renew by reflecting personal struggles, growth, and dreams. 🧵⤵️
November 24, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Since the dawn of time, stories have captured our histories, ideas, and beliefs.
In academia, we often focus on theory.
But the power of stories lies in their ability to heal, uplift, and renew by reflecting personal struggles, growth, and dreams. 🧵⤵️
In academia, we often focus on theory.
But the power of stories lies in their ability to heal, uplift, and renew by reflecting personal struggles, growth, and dreams. 🧵⤵️
Here is how I reignited my creativity in academia after years of going through the motions.
Ever feel like your academic life has become a routine of service, teaching, and publishing?
I know I did.
This is what I learned and how I fixed it. 🧵⤵️
Ever feel like your academic life has become a routine of service, teaching, and publishing?
I know I did.
This is what I learned and how I fixed it. 🧵⤵️
November 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Here is how I reignited my creativity in academia after years of going through the motions.
Ever feel like your academic life has become a routine of service, teaching, and publishing?
I know I did.
This is what I learned and how I fixed it. 🧵⤵️
Ever feel like your academic life has become a routine of service, teaching, and publishing?
I know I did.
This is what I learned and how I fixed it. 🧵⤵️
Yesterday, I ran 26.2 miles around New York City with my brother by my side.
As a native New Yorker from the South Bronx, this one meant a lot.
I’m proud of myself for facing my fears, staying the course, raising money for charity, and tackling this goal at 40.
As a native New Yorker from the South Bronx, this one meant a lot.
I’m proud of myself for facing my fears, staying the course, raising money for charity, and tackling this goal at 40.
November 3, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Yesterday, I ran 26.2 miles around New York City with my brother by my side.
As a native New Yorker from the South Bronx, this one meant a lot.
I’m proud of myself for facing my fears, staying the course, raising money for charity, and tackling this goal at 40.
As a native New Yorker from the South Bronx, this one meant a lot.
I’m proud of myself for facing my fears, staying the course, raising money for charity, and tackling this goal at 40.
PEOPLE WHO:
• get lost in Black literature
• think in systems and metaphors
• use poetry to heal wounds
• cherish quiet moments alone
• find joy in sharing knowledge
• believe Black history is American history
• walk with faith as your compass
My page is for you! 🌍📚🙏🏽
• get lost in Black literature
• think in systems and metaphors
• use poetry to heal wounds
• cherish quiet moments alone
• find joy in sharing knowledge
• believe Black history is American history
• walk with faith as your compass
My page is for you! 🌍📚🙏🏽
October 30, 2025 at 11:59 AM
PEOPLE WHO:
• get lost in Black literature
• think in systems and metaphors
• use poetry to heal wounds
• cherish quiet moments alone
• find joy in sharing knowledge
• believe Black history is American history
• walk with faith as your compass
My page is for you! 🌍📚🙏🏽
• get lost in Black literature
• think in systems and metaphors
• use poetry to heal wounds
• cherish quiet moments alone
• find joy in sharing knowledge
• believe Black history is American history
• walk with faith as your compass
My page is for you! 🌍📚🙏🏽
Part Four in my five-week dialogue with @robert_the_contemplative in response to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
A meditation on leaving and returning, on memory and the quiet sanctuaries we carry in our hearts.
Read the full poem on my Substack:
freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-on...
A meditation on leaving and returning, on memory and the quiet sanctuaries we carry in our hearts.
Read the full poem on my Substack:
freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-on...
https://freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-ones-who-stayed
October 23, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Part Four in my five-week dialogue with @robert_the_contemplative in response to Ryan Coogler’s Sinners.
A meditation on leaving and returning, on memory and the quiet sanctuaries we carry in our hearts.
Read the full poem on my Substack:
freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-on...
A meditation on leaving and returning, on memory and the quiet sanctuaries we carry in our hearts.
Read the full poem on my Substack:
freedompapers.substack.com/p/for-the-on...
A few months ago, I saw a headline on LinkedIn:
“Professor Wins Teaching Award.”
Curious, I clicked to learn more.
Their bio was 3 years out of date.
Their headshot looked like it was from 2005.
Their LinkedIn mentioned projects from years ago.
Brilliant scholar.
Invisible online.
🧵⤵️
“Professor Wins Teaching Award.”
Curious, I clicked to learn more.
Their bio was 3 years out of date.
Their headshot looked like it was from 2005.
Their LinkedIn mentioned projects from years ago.
Brilliant scholar.
Invisible online.
🧵⤵️
October 17, 2025 at 4:22 PM
A few months ago, I saw a headline on LinkedIn:
“Professor Wins Teaching Award.”
Curious, I clicked to learn more.
Their bio was 3 years out of date.
Their headshot looked like it was from 2005.
Their LinkedIn mentioned projects from years ago.
Brilliant scholar.
Invisible online.
🧵⤵️
“Professor Wins Teaching Award.”
Curious, I clicked to learn more.
Their bio was 3 years out of date.
Their headshot looked like it was from 2005.
Their LinkedIn mentioned projects from years ago.
Brilliant scholar.
Invisible online.
🧵⤵️
After the Comet: Du Bois, Afrofuturism, and Constitutional Renewal — forthcoming in NYU Law Review (2026).
What if W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Comet—a speculative short story—holds the key to understanding how protest movements repeatedly remake and renew the Constitution?
Stay tuned.
What if W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Comet—a speculative short story—holds the key to understanding how protest movements repeatedly remake and renew the Constitution?
Stay tuned.
October 8, 2025 at 1:13 PM
After the Comet: Du Bois, Afrofuturism, and Constitutional Renewal — forthcoming in NYU Law Review (2026).
What if W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Comet—a speculative short story—holds the key to understanding how protest movements repeatedly remake and renew the Constitution?
Stay tuned.
What if W.E.B. Du Bois’s The Comet—a speculative short story—holds the key to understanding how protest movements repeatedly remake and renew the Constitution?
Stay tuned.
A new essay over on Substack, adapted remarks from a recent symposium where I discuss my hair journey.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Flesh That Weeps
The Professional Politics of Hair in Legal Workplaces
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:20 PM
A new essay over on Substack, adapted remarks from a recent symposium where I discuss my hair journey.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Here's Why Stories Trump Statistics in Academia. . .
As scholars, we’re trained to build arguments with evidence, precedent, and logic.
But when it comes to communicating who we are and why our work matters, narrative often succeeds where pure logic fails.
Here’s why 👇🏽🧵
As scholars, we’re trained to build arguments with evidence, precedent, and logic.
But when it comes to communicating who we are and why our work matters, narrative often succeeds where pure logic fails.
Here’s why 👇🏽🧵
October 7, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Here's Why Stories Trump Statistics in Academia. . .
As scholars, we’re trained to build arguments with evidence, precedent, and logic.
But when it comes to communicating who we are and why our work matters, narrative often succeeds where pure logic fails.
Here’s why 👇🏽🧵
As scholars, we’re trained to build arguments with evidence, precedent, and logic.
But when it comes to communicating who we are and why our work matters, narrative often succeeds where pure logic fails.
Here’s why 👇🏽🧵
Check out this wonderful article about @ebonyt_phd’s new comic!
‘Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics blackgirlnerds.com/crash-cart-b...
‘Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics blackgirlnerds.com/crash-cart-b...
'Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics | Black Girl Nerds
Spread the loveHellcat Comics is giving fans something powerful and pulse-pounding with Crash Cart, a brand-new webcomic from Dr. Ebony Toussaint — a registered nurse, scientist, and storyteller who’s...
blackgirlnerds.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Check out this wonderful article about @ebonyt_phd’s new comic!
‘Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics blackgirlnerds.com/crash-cart-b...
‘Crash Cart' Brings the Heartbeat of the ER to Comics blackgirlnerds.com/crash-cart-b...
So proud of my wife @ebonyt_phd — she just dropped her first comic! 🚨💜
Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse racing against time during a Code STEMI (a massive heart attack). It’s a powerful mix of science, art, and storytelling.
m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/cr...
#Comics #EmergencyNursing
Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse racing against time during a Code STEMI (a massive heart attack). It’s a powerful mix of science, art, and storytelling.
m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/cr...
#Comics #EmergencyNursing
Crash Cart - Code STEMI
In the emergency department, every second counts.
Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse, as she leaps into action during a Code STEMI — a full cardiac arrest after a massive heart attack. The panels ...
m.webtoons.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:36 PM
So proud of my wife @ebonyt_phd — she just dropped her first comic! 🚨💜
Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse racing against time during a Code STEMI (a massive heart attack). It’s a powerful mix of science, art, and storytelling.
m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/cr...
#Comics #EmergencyNursing
Crash Cart follows an emergency nurse racing against time during a Code STEMI (a massive heart attack). It’s a powerful mix of science, art, and storytelling.
m.webtoons.com/en/canvas/cr...
#Comics #EmergencyNursing
Reposted by etienne toussaint
Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
TCS New York Marathon
Thank you for supporting my marathon journey with #TeamUJC. This year, I’m running my very first marathon—the NYC Marathon—as part of a deeper personal milestone: turning 40. I was born and raise...
fundraisers.nyrr.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
Reposted by etienne toussaint
Your words carry weight.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
September 19, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Your words carry weight.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
Reposted by etienne toussaint
A poem written in response to the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene in Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners.
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Vampires in the Shadows
A Poetic Journey Through Ryan Coogler's Sinners (Part 3)
open.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
A poem written in response to the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene in Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners.
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Reposted by etienne toussaint
+ @bcgl.bsky.social & @longreads.com @saulelbein.bsky.social @mollytempleton.com & @reactorsff.bsky.social @bcdreyer.social @etiennetoussaint.bsky.social @chrisyogerst.com @ruthjoffre.bsky.social & @bwdr.bsky.social @drdiongeorgiou.bsky.social @silaslapham.bsky.social & many more! +
September 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Had a great time at Drexel’s inaugural Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law, and Policy symposium this weekend.
Huge thanks to Professor Wendy Greene for her vision and leadership in bringing us all together for this groundbreaking gathering.
Truly an honor to be part of it
Huge thanks to Professor Wendy Greene for her vision and leadership in bringing us all together for this groundbreaking gathering.
Truly an honor to be part of it
September 27, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Had a great time at Drexel’s inaugural Weaving It All Together: Hair, Health, Law, and Policy symposium this weekend.
Huge thanks to Professor Wendy Greene for her vision and leadership in bringing us all together for this groundbreaking gathering.
Truly an honor to be part of it
Huge thanks to Professor Wendy Greene for her vision and leadership in bringing us all together for this groundbreaking gathering.
Truly an honor to be part of it
Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
TCS New York Marathon
Thank you for supporting my marathon journey with #TeamUJC. This year, I’m running my very first marathon—the NYC Marathon—as part of a deeper personal milestone: turning 40. I was born and raise...
fundraisers.nyrr.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:32 PM
Please help me reach my fundraising goals for the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon!
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
A poem written in response to the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene in Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners.
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Vampires in the Shadows
A Poetic Journey Through Ryan Coogler's Sinners (Part 3)
open.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 5:55 PM
A poem written in response to the “Rocky Road to Dublin” scene in Ryan Coogler’s film, Sinners.
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Here’s to the breaking and the cypher.
open.substack.com/pub/freedomp...
Your words carry weight.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
September 19, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Your words carry weight.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
But they can’t make an impact if they stay hidden.
Put them out there. Share the link. Let people know what you’re building.
Because someone out there needs to hear it.
And they can’t if you keep it to yourself.
Most people never begin.
They tell themselves the timing isn’t right.
That the space is too crowded.
That their voice won’t matter.
But years from now, they’ll look back with regret, wishing they had started.
You don’t have to be one of them.
Begin today. your future self will thank you.
They tell themselves the timing isn’t right.
That the space is too crowded.
That their voice won’t matter.
But years from now, they’ll look back with regret, wishing they had started.
You don’t have to be one of them.
Begin today. your future self will thank you.
September 18, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Most people never begin.
They tell themselves the timing isn’t right.
That the space is too crowded.
That their voice won’t matter.
But years from now, they’ll look back with regret, wishing they had started.
You don’t have to be one of them.
Begin today. your future self will thank you.
They tell themselves the timing isn’t right.
That the space is too crowded.
That their voice won’t matter.
But years from now, they’ll look back with regret, wishing they had started.
You don’t have to be one of them.
Begin today. your future self will thank you.
Share your writing.
Your words matter, but they can only reach others if you put them out into the world.
So, share your work.
Share your ideas. Share your perspective, your creations, your voice.
Because someone out there may be waiting for exactly what you have to say.
Your words matter, but they can only reach others if you put them out into the world.
So, share your work.
Share your ideas. Share your perspective, your creations, your voice.
Because someone out there may be waiting for exactly what you have to say.
September 18, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Share your writing.
Your words matter, but they can only reach others if you put them out into the world.
So, share your work.
Share your ideas. Share your perspective, your creations, your voice.
Because someone out there may be waiting for exactly what you have to say.
Your words matter, but they can only reach others if you put them out into the world.
So, share your work.
Share your ideas. Share your perspective, your creations, your voice.
Because someone out there may be waiting for exactly what you have to say.
It always feels good to hold it in your hands.
I love writing about the things I love writing about.
I love writing about the things I love writing about.
September 16, 2025 at 6:31 PM
It always feels good to hold it in your hands.
I love writing about the things I love writing about.
I love writing about the things I love writing about.
Starting the week strong!
Help me raise money for the Urban Justice Center as I run the New York Marathon this November.
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
Help me raise money for the Urban Justice Center as I run the New York Marathon this November.
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
September 15, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Starting the week strong!
Help me raise money for the Urban Justice Center as I run the New York Marathon this November.
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...
Help me raise money for the Urban Justice Center as I run the New York Marathon this November.
fundraisers.nyrr.org/etiennetouss...