Unorthodox Academic

First dig into the “plastic baggie” archive and loving all the uniquely preserved mementos from the past. I always find it fascinating what people decide to keep over the years. Looking forward to untangling these sources and using them in the telling of this story.

I have big news to share! A few months ago, I orchestrated an event with a neighborhood bookstore, non-profit & cafe in Adams Morgan. After hearing the stories of the community members, I knew that this history needed to be recorded. With the encouragement of Executive Director Andrea Lewis, I applied for the inaugural Independent Practitioner Fellowship offered by Humanities DC, and was accepted into their first cohort of fellows. This fellowship will provide the necessary financial support to begin an oral history project documenting the immense influence of The Potter’s House in Adams Morgan.

Established in 1960 through the Church of the Saviour, The Potter’s House has maintained a strong community presence in the neighborhood for nearly 70 years. From supporting those suffering through HIV/AIDS, to providing housing, food and job training, The Potter’s House and its sister organizations played an essential role in Adams Morgan during the second half of the 20th century and continue to do so.

This oral history project will document the stories of Potter's House employees and volunteers while analyzing the impact of coffee-house community activism in the city. Follow along here on IG or keep up with me on unorthodoxacademic.com!

Thank you again to for this opportunity! This project is being presented with financial assistance from HumanitiesDC, a state council of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of HumanitiesDC or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Have you passed the Jackson School building in Georgetown? Did you know that it’s been converted from a schoolhouse into individual art studios for local painters, photographers & sculptors? While the building isn’t usually open to the public, artists show off their work and have pieces for sale a few special times a year. This local space is a haven for creativity and expression—keep an eye out for its next open house!

people looking at art: a series, a form of art itself?

Are you in a reading rut? Are you interested in learning more about an academic subject but don't know where to start? Let us show you a loophole--university reading lists. While we can't vouch for the quality of every book included on a reading list, we can say that each one is chock full of information and has the potential to expand your knowledge on a range of topics. Also, we're nerds so we find most nonfiction books fabulous.

This week, we are providing an adapted reading list using titles from Rutgers University's Gender & Women's Studies Comprehensive Reading List. Check it out online for yourself! University reading lists are a fabulous resource for students, inquisitive adults, researchers, and all lifelong learners. Check out our IG TV series on reading lists for more information.

The cherry blossom trees have officially reached peak bloom, ushering in springtime in DC 🌸

Did you know that International Women’s Day is over 100 years old? Here at Unorthodox Academic we believe that women are worth celebrating; cheers to your local ladies!

We had such a great time at the DC Preservation Awards last week hosted by ! Preserving our built environment is essential to a more equitable history.

This Black History month we are choosing to emphasize Black JOY. In our work we often focus on hard history—histories of enslavement, abuse, violence, systemic injustice—and while all of these stories and histories are essential and need to be shared, in this month where the past and present forms of oppression can feel overwhelming, we want to show Black Joy as a form of active resistance to white supremacy.