Soraya Nadia McDonald

@sorayanadiamcdonald

some lady. she/her | sorayanadiamcdonald.com

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Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 22d

Dr. Evil may be evil but he didn't use an LLM to write his dissertation on Evil Theory! He was in the stacks! The evil, evil stacks! He put in the work!

Dr. Evil doing "allegedly!" finger quotes

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 22d

Hey y'all, this is Beamer. He's a very sweet, very large, and very strong cane corso. His human has had to make an unscheduled trip to deal with family illness and she is looking for an experienced Brooklyn dog walker to walk him while she's gone. Anyone have any recs for folks who walk big bois?

A big ole love bug of a black dog (Beamer) gazing lovingly at the camera lens.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 24d

Cio Cio serving Caturday Eleganza

A gray tabby with a creamsicle belly sitting in a window sill, looking over her shoulder like one of your lil French pussies.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 24d

Yes.

Ukrainian president and creator and star of "Servant of the People" Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 27d

From A SECOND SIGHT by @sjjphd.bsky.social: "Kumanyika and Dunbar delve into the extraordinary courage of Judge, an enslaved woman who escaped from George and Martha Washington in 1796. Despite being relentlessly hunted by the most powerful man in the country, Judge was never recaptured."

From page 79 of Sarah J. Jackson's A SECOND SIGHT:

Across generations, black media makers have exposed how narrow definitions of Liberty in the United States serve to undermine it for some while preserving it for others. They argue that Liberty is not a static inheritance, nor a gift bestowed by the state, but something that must be seized—again and again—by individuals and communities who refuse to accept conditions of unfreedom. Their second sight does not only take lessons from the past or critique the present. It also imagines a future where liberty is not the privilege of a few, but the shared condition of all, offering visions of freedom that are as aspirational as they are urgent.

Running For Freedom

In a 2018 episode of the Peabody Award-winning podcast, Uncivil, journalist Chenjerai Kumanyika welcomed historian Erica Armstrong Dunbar as a guest. Dunbar narrates a story about our nation's most famed founder, George Washington, almost no one was taught: the saga of Ona Judge.

In the episode titled "The Fugitive," Kumanyika and Dunbar delve into the extraordinary courage of Judge, an enslaved woman who escaped from George and Martha Washington in 1796. Despite being relentlessly pursued by the most powerful man in the country, Judge was never recaptured. As the episode reveals, Washington spared no effort in his pursuit—deploying federal officials, leveraging his political influence, and using every available resource to try to reclaim her. Kumanyika underscores the deep irony at the heart of this history: "After writing some of the fundamental documents professing the American value of liberty, George Washington spent the rest of his life trying to prevent Ona Judge from attaining just that.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 27d

apparently Radamès has decided we are in couples therapy because every week I do teletherapy, he comes FROM ANOTHER ROOM and sits behind me—in frame!—and meows at my therapist like he too, needs to discuss witnessing himself being devoured by systems like a sailor being eaten by Scylla

My black cat, Radamès, luxuriating on his fuzzy white cat tree in front of a bookshelf

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 28d

It's a Brownshirt Brigade www.nytimes.com/2026/05/18/w...

Mr. Glassel and Mr. Scharpf are concerned that President Trump’s planned expansion of ICE, in particular, could make it an ideal venue for “detouring” by ambitious underperformers who could be deployed for anti-democratic purposes. The worry is especially profound given the storming of the Capitol at the end of Mr. Trump’s first term, albeit by a less organized band of loyalists.

The playbook for a leader to create a loyal security service, they said, is to set up or repurpose an institution that can become a “second ladder” for career promotions, resource it generously and ensure that the barriers to getting hired there are low, signaling that it offers career opportunities to those who cannot find them elsewhere. (Cutting other government jobs or squeezing budgets can create a larger pool of potential recruits.) The leadership then signals impunity for people on that second ladder, to assure them that they won’t face consequences for wrongdoing.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 28d

It's Quite Large

Big ass trojan horse in the middle of the street on the UWS

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 28d

Snagged a selfie with the Condom Horse

Soraya standing in front of a big ass trojan horse in the middle of the street at an Odyssey press screening

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· 29d

I wonder what portion of this is Black workers pushed out of media, given that NYC and LA are the capitals of the sector. It's not just a passive abandoning of Black opportunity and equity. This is active contempt and hostility. www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/07/07/b...

Screenshot text from The City Reporter
“Disproportionately higher rates of unemployment for Black New Yorkers is, in many ways, a constant; it’s not a new phenomenon,” said Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, an antipoverty advocacy organization.

But the current rise in Black unemployment rates, Austin said, is symptomatic of a cultural rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies under the second Trump administration.

“It is tied to where we are, the political climate and the acceptance that it is OK to no longer try to build greater equity and opportunity for Black people and other people of color,” she said.

Labor market inequality has deepened, with the New York City metro Black-white unemployment rate gap the widest among major U.S. metro areas, at 5.6 percentage points as of the third quarter of 2025, according to the Center for New York City Affairs.

Los Angeles, which had the highest Black unemployment rate at 9.6% in that quarter, had a smaller gap, with white unemployment at 5.4%, for a gap of 4.2 percentage points. Other cities, including Chicago, Dallas and Houston, had much smaller Black-white unemployment rate gaps.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jul 11

I have Rachel Bitecofer blocked on here but before I did, I saw that we had many mutuals. So is this what liberals are doing now, ie Stephen King, Klip, etc? They have accounts across the platforms but save their racism or rape apologia for Twitter, the playground for bigotry without consequences?

Screenshot from Ruwa Romman on X.

RT Ruwa: I'm a Palestinian. I don't cheer on death. But thanks for outing yourself as a bigot.

OP Rachel: I'm starting to hate the Gaza people with the passion of a thousand suns. Y'all get that the average Palestinian would cheer your death??

Rachel response to Ruwa: You're running for office in Georgia, not Palestine.

Ruwa response: oh you mistook this for an invitation to talk to me. It's not. Take your bigotry somewhere else. If you think you can "you're one of the good ones" me, you're mistaken. I have family who don't live here, and they have better morals and ethics

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jul 10

Dems chasing a mythical Great White Hope and refusing to take the South seriously even when Black women like Stacey Abrams delivered proof of concept and because IT IS THE RIGHT AND JUST THING TO DO are two sides of the same problem www.politico.com/news/2026/07...

Politico screenshot text
Black lawmakers and activists across the Deep South argue they have been abandoned by the Democratic Party to fight an existential crisis on their own. They say they’ve been let down by nearly all corners of the party: would be-presidential hopefuls who have flocked to early and swing states but don’t bring their megaphones elsewhere; congressional leadership focused on majority-making battlegrounds while safe Black seats are drawn out; and years of chronic underfunding that has allowed local party apparatus to wither away.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jul 6

GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY

A radiant Lupita N'yongo in a silver mesh sheath dress with a side arm opening that reveals she don't need no side arm because her body is the weapon, okay? Okay.

(Photo is from Harper's Bazaar US insta carousel and they did not include a photographer credit. Boo hiss on that)

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jul 5

⏲️ 1 hour later (literally)!

An empty bowl that previously held 5 pounds of potato salad

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jul 4

On my way to the function with approximately 5 lbs of potato salad in tow. Happy 4th!

A selfie of Soraya in a big sun hat, sunglasses, and a halterneck green dress with white polka dots. She's holding a big bowl of potato salad.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 29

I ain't no regular writer, baby!

A photo of Soraya from behind, as she photographs the Mona Lisa with zero other people around her. Not AI!

A photo of Soraya taking a selfie with the Winged Victory of Samothrace, aka taking a moment to document herself on the job.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 23

"Has your New York human voted and turned you into content? Tell your human to vote and post so you, too, can be prostituted for democracy."

A black cat, annoyed at off-year turnout, sitting on his cardboard window seat above an I VOTED 2026 sticker.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 22

I mean, who doesn't love a cult of personality pyramid scheme!?! Number can only go up, right?

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 21

I am become Lilian* Destroyer of doom *Lilian my mama

A selfie of Soraya in a white blouse, jeans and sandals, leaning against a brick building. She's wearing oversized bug eye sunglasses and a shirt curly black bob.

A selfie of Soraya in a white blouse, jeans and sandals, leaning against a wood fence. She's smiling and her hair is in a short curly black bob.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 21

A selfie of Soraya in big round iris apfel style tortoise shell shades and a white line blouse amidst her natural habitat (summertime Brooklyn)

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 18

Meanwhile, not a brain cell to be found in this sweet himbo's head, bless.

Close up of my mini panther, Radamès, just doing his best, ok!

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 18

Cio Cio-san says enjoy the pawrade NYC!

A close up shot of a gray tabby queen, a star, an absolutely iconic diva.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 17

I'll be chatting with @justinellis.bsky.social tonight at McNally Jackson Seaport! Come through!

Event flyer text:
Justin Ellis
Soraya McDonald
Jun 16 @ 7pm
McNally Jackson Seaport

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 14

We could use more lights in the park but FUCK IT KNICKS IN FIVE

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 11

Maya Rudolph in the scene from Bridesmaids (2011) in which she squats and shits uncontrollably in the middle of the street while wearing a very poufy expensive wedding dress. Her character's guts were also introduced to a hostile pathogen.

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 10

GO NY GO NY GO

Soraya in an MTA station rocking orange, blue and white because KNICKS IN FIVE

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 6

being a decent person is punk rock

A still from Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis

Two women in abayas are accosting a young girl who is in wearing a top that reads "PUNK IS NOT DED"

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· Jun 2

This sounds like AI could be effective in reifying social caste and in making it much more difficult to use education to successfully challenge and/or move up said castes as critical thinking becomes privileged This shit is education Sunny D. How American. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/m...

NYT screenshot text
Because the world’s largest tech firms are headquartered in California, the state has generally become a petri dish for A.I. experiments in education. In early August, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed education agreements with Nvidia, Adobe, Google, IBM and Microsoft; each company agreed to provide free A.I. resources to California schools. The goal is to create the “A.I. work force of the future” by training high school, community college and C.S.U. students to use the technology.

In this spirit, C.S.U.’s A.I. Initiative has been marketed as simple progress — a way to ensure that the state’s working-class students are buoyed by the A.I. economy rather than left behind. After all, many students in the C.S.U. system are first-generation immigrants or the first in their families to go to college; roughly half identify as Hispanic, and many commute to campus and work alongside their studies. With A.I.’s looming reorganization of the job market, many of these students might graduate into jobs that will no longer exist in five years. Already, recent reports estimate that roughly 40 percent of recent college graduates nationwide are underemployed.

Screenshot text
C.S.U. eventually broadened its goals beyond creating teachers to supplying workers for a range of jobs deemed useful to California’s economy. In 1960, the economist Clark Kerr, president of the University of California, implemented the California Master Plan for higher education. It established the tripartite state system that still exists today, with research universities like Berkeley and U.C.L.A. at the top, the C.S.U. system of “mass education” in the middle and community colleges at the bottom.

Each level of the system had a distinct purpose. The universities received the most state funding and produced new knowledge; the state colleges educated skilled workers; and the community colleges, built within reasonable driving distance of almost every Californian, offered a critical pathway to social mobility. The California system, which was then tuition-free, served an essential purpose, educating workers who would go on to staff its national laboratories, build out its nuclear programs, develop the state’s industrial agriculture and lay the groundwork for its emerging technology sector. It equipped students with skills to succeed in the new technological economy and also gave them a critical, humanistic training that primed them to protest their own instrumentalization. Eventually, the student protest movements of the 1960s and ’70s pushed universities to pioneer new disciplines in the liberal arts, like ethnic studies.

Today, economic pressures have prompted C.S.U. to redefine what it means to train useful workers. In December 2024, Newsom’s office encouraged the C.S.U. system to create the A.I. Workforce Acceleration Board, which would “guide the equitable development of a highly skilled, diverse work force that can drive California’s A.I.-powered economy.” In January, C.S.U. signed the contract with OpenAI, and C.S.U.’s chancellor, Mildred García, announced both developments as flagship elements of the A.I. Initiative at a news conference sho…

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· May 31

every day they go to the mental health mines and toil ceaselessly on their marriage, ok! www.nytimes.com/2026/05/30/u...

NYT screenshot text:
On Saturday evening, she also released a lengthy direct-to-camera video acknowledging that the couple had faced challenges, but saying that “our marriage counselor helps, my personal counselor helps, Graham’s personal counselor helps, and we work on our mental health every day.”

“No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage,” Ms. Gertner said. “I want my marriage, and I want to be married to Graham.”

Soraya Nadia McDonald@sorayanadiamcdonald· May 30

Anyway. Cio Cio would not be moved. Victorious, she bleps.