Cornwallis marched through my paternal grandfather's hometown of Riegelwood, NC! Most importantly, the thousands of Black refugees traveled through my family's community! #HATM

I do not like how quickly the filmmakers moved through this PIVOTAL section about Mathew & Collier's 2 week raid in May 1779. About 1,000 Afro-Virginians sailed out of NYC in 1783. About half of them left Virginia in 1779. SO, that means, more Blk folks left in 79 than any other time. #HATM

Let's remember that white Loyalists forced enslaved people into Dunmore's floating town. For example, Jenny Cook (top-left) is seen in a record of Black women. A year later she said a "Mr. Wilkins" brought her into British lines and a Capt. Marshall forced her to Bermuda. #HATM

I had a great convo with University of Chicago historian, Mary E. Hicks, about her new book, Captive Cosmopolitans: Black Mariners and the World of South Atlantic Slavery! Look out for our convo on the New Books Network tomorrow morning!

@csschmitt.bsky.social look what I got?!? Congratulations! And I look forward to finishing your book and interviewing you later this fall!

Can’t even lie, this panel’s probably my all-time fave #SHEAR panel. Well done, conference conveners. 🫡🥹

Exclusive Preview of Ken Burns’ forthcoming @pbs.org documentary: The American Revolution.

From left to right:

@jamellebouie.net, Jane Kamensky, Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and Vincent Brown.

The National Archives in College Park, MD will soon close to the public! Wtf! Per journalist, Phillip Lewis.

Last week’s @oieahc.bsky.social conference went incredibly well. Workshopped new ideas, met new friends, hung out with old ones, and enjoyed the beauty and 🔥 of Charleston. Pictured below, I also took a photo with Peter Wood, author of Black Majority. Always good to see and speak to Peter.

Oh boy. I am happy to finally say, on March 31, I defended my dissertation, “Contested Liberty: Fugitive Women & the Shadow of Re-Enslavement and Displacement in Revolutionary Virginia.” Tears of joy! More to come later. 🥹❤️😉

If you tryna help me celebrate, CashApp: $AXM1992

Lauren Duval’s long awaited first book drops on December 16, 2025! us.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1469...

Big news for the OI and the study of Early America!

In a world where Southwest Airlines decides to turn their back on consumers, I am crying tears of joy over GIANT FINALLY selling Cafe Bustelo Iced Coffee!

Here to learn from my best buddy, Sean Gallagher!

“Punching Back: Black Resistance to Patriot Violence in the American Revolution.” #AHA25