Sara Silverstein
Historian. Writer. Public & global health, rights, internationalism, migration, citizenship & statelessness, Modern & Eastern Europe. Associate Professor at the University of Connecticut, Department of History and Human Rights Institute. Views my own.
- "this your mountanish inhumanity" Shakespeare of course had the words to describe attacks on immigrants, writing 400 years ago. (1/7) www.tiktok.com/@colbertlate...
- (2/7) "Imagine that you see the wretched strangers, Their babies at their backs and their poor luggage, Plodding to the ports and coasts for transportation, And that you sit as kings in your desires, Authority quite silent by your brawl, And you in ruff of your opinions clothed; What had you got?
- (3/7) "I’ll tell you. You had taught How insolence and strong hand should prevail, How order should be quelled; and by this pattern Not one of you should live an aged man,
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View full thread(7/7) "what would you think To be thus used? This is the strangers’ case; And this your mountainish inhumanity." William Shakespeare, in "Sir Thomas More," Act 2, Scene 4 (c. 1590s)
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinExpectant mothers were left so hungry after the U.S. cut foreign food aid that one woman ate clay and charcoal. Her baby struggled to gain weight after being born prematurely. By @annamaria.bsky.social, photos by @storitellah.com & illustrations by Phoebe Ouma
- "Trump officials celebrated with cake after slashing aid. Then people died of cholera."
- The Soviet gulag is one important comparison. I also keep thinking of the classic question of World War II history: "Did people know?" Did Germans know about concentration camps? Did people living next to the camps and death facilities know? How could they go about their lives if they knew? We know.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinFor an excellent study of medicalizing euphemisms please see Golfo Alexopolous’s history of the Gulag, entitled "Illness and Inhumanity."
- “We should be just as outraged by the deaths that take place out of sight” @willbunch.bsky.social
- It's great that the media, Congress is going all Watergate on one of Trump's many crimes, the 'double-tap' murder of 2 Caribbean sailors But the reality is that Trump's death cult has killed hundreds of thousands, mostly through senseless USAID cuts My new column www.inquirer.com/columnists/a...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinHeartbreaking. The University of Nebraska will terminate its entire Earth science department. One of the country's most successful and respected geology & climate programs: gone. When ideologues & politicians are threatened by the very act of studying climate change, I wonder: who of us is next?
- It's over. Despite the fact that the academic council recommended against it, despite the fact that the program brought in more tuition than it cost, and despite the fact that Nebraskans need & deserve this expertise, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences will be cut. www.dailynebraskan.com/news/adminis...
- I’m honored to be part of Ukrainian History Global Initiative’s project. I’m contributing on state forms and statelessness. It’s a privilege to be welcomed into the vibrant community of scholars committed to the humanities and knowledge in the midst of war. I have learned so much from my colleagues.
- We are told that, under stress, the humanities must be sacrificed. But amidst a war of aggression scholars in Ukraine have undertaken one of the most ambitious knowledge projects of our time. It's a privilege to be involved with Ukrainian History Global Initiative snyder.substack.com/p/ukrainian-...
- Journalists and media: stop bothsidesing attacks on childhood vaccines. We look to you to report what is happening and what the effects will be, not repeat the administration’s rhetoric. The effects will be more sickness and more death. That is not something to bothsides. Hold power accountable.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinHugely proud of and happy for Prof David Petruccelli, whose history of Interpol is published by OUP today. It provides a complete revision of a major chapter of the history of international policing & is full of amazing anecdotes from the history of international crime global.oup.com/academic/pro...
- They are pro-disease and pro-death — for our children.
- Name names. Shame on all the ACIP members who voted to strip the recommendation for the birth dose of the HBV vaccine. Call them out. Give them no peace. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinGeorgian authorities have adopted a series of laws that unjustifiably interfere with the right to peaceful assembly and are being used to suppress dissent. People are being detained or slapped with ruinous fines for exercising their fundamental rights.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinThis fetid landmark, this historical stain on humanity is primarily due to the stunningly reckless obliteration of America's foreign assistance agency earlier this year. Led by the richest man on earth. In secret, on a weekend. With zero analysis or discussion of its catastrophic impacts.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinThis is the most important op-ed you'll read this week. The Trump administration is about to get rid of the birth-dose of hepatitis B vaccine. That is a deadly choice for many families. @helenouyang.bsky.social tells her story. Now call your member of Congress. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/01/o...
- While we're reacting to Prasad's anti-vax proclamations, it's helpful to read of responses to shared challenges in other places. Romania's anti-vax is tied up in memories of authoritarianism, an underfunded health system, & disinformation. Rebuilding trust in politics and public health go together.
- A year of protests for democracy and the rule of law in Georgia.
- In his racist screed, Trump threatens to strip people of their American citizenship for disrupting his regime’s “domestic tranquility.” Violating the rights, safety, and dignity of any migrant makes all Americans vulnerable.
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein"WHO to lose nearly a quarter of its workforce – 2,000 jobs – due to US withdrawing funding" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
- Their essay is one way of explaining that only the “fit” will survive and we should not be investing money in protecting the “unfit.” #eugenics
- A new approach to pandemic preparedness: 1️⃣ Stop preparing for pandemics 2️⃣ Rewrite history of the last major pandemic 3️⃣ Go to the gym Simple - 🤷♂️. www.city-journal.org/article/nih-...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinUnder new administration guidance, if you’re overweight or diabetic, you can be denied a visa to live in the U.S. all in the name of “protecting the taxpayer.” Newsflash: immigrants are not the problem. They’re the ones helping to build our economy and communities. 🇺🇸 www.npr.org/2025/11/12/n...
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein[Not loaded yet]
- Politically motivated removals and political appointments are reminiscent of “science” under Soviet and other authoritarian regimes.
- NEW: Jenna Norton, an NIH employee who is openly critical of Trump & RFK Jr, has been put on "non-disciplinary" administrative leave. She says the administration is trying to "scare and silence me." An HHS official, asked to comment, called her a radical leftist. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/u...
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein🚨🚨 @jenna-m-norton.bsky.social is a force. Her voice carries power, truth, and courage—threats to the regime. The only thing authoritarians fear more than a voice they cannot control is a chorus. So let’s give them one: speak up, speak loudly, and don’t stop. Stand with Jenna. ✊🇺🇸
- Trump’s HHS put me on “non-disciplinary” admin leave today. This was retaliation for speaking up. Moves like this are designed to silence us. Let’s not let. www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Dteoop/
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinAccording to a source, Jenna Norton, who led a letter criticizing Trump's decimation of the NIH (see below), has been placed on administrative leave. She's the first at NIH to be put on leave, joining EPA officials who criticized Trump policies. www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...
- They’re erasing the history because this administration doesn’t want evidence of public health successes or memory of a functioning CDC.
- 🚨🚨 🧵1/6 #FedFam, reporters - urgent help needed 🚨CDC Museum (a Smithsonian affiliate) is being shuttered🚨 Staff are being “un-RIFed” just to close the museum permanently — then RIFed again in Jan This is bureaucratic cruelty & cultural vandalism CDC Library is a national treasure #SaveCDCLibrary
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinHappy news: My new book -- Humanitarianism: A Very Short Introduction -- now has a cover and is available for preorder! The book is a concise history of humanitarianism in an international and global perspective, from the 18th century to the present. More info here: global.oup.com/academic/pro...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinLast night, eight Dems in the Senate broke ranks and acquiesced to Republicans in the shutdown fight.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinLast month, El Fasher, in Sudan’s Darfur region, fell to rebel forces. “The world hasn’t caught up to what a big deal El Fasher is,” a humanitarian researcher at Yale said. “We are talking tens upon tens of thousands of potential dead in five days.” newyorkermag.visitlink.me/ePchw0
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinYesterday, hundreds of scientists, physicians, health workers, patients, leaders, and advocates spoke together with one voice, RFK Jr. is not fit to lead HHS and has got to go. Thanks to @apha.org @standupforscience.bsky.social, and others for organizing.
- Reposted by Sara Silversteinit is darkly humorous that after all these years, the Republican health insurance plan ends up being to end health insurance
- I’m very pleased to have written the chapter on health and to be in fantastic company in this volume.
- This is murder. It is social engineering by oligarchs and politicians doing the will of oligarchs. It is cruel and brutal and results in death as surely as other forms of violence.
- One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
- I’m not sure if it was intentional or an algorithm that showed the trailer for the “Nuremberg” film on this page. The Nuremberg trial defined crimes against humanity and genocide. We will be defining crimes based on the Trump administration’s social engineering. www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...
- Thread. Strongly recommend reading the whole thread.
- The author disabled quotes.A family friend was telling us about what her husband shared about his experience in Broadview before he was deported back to Mexico. She's been sharing to friends and family because she's just in disbelief & horror what her husband told her. She wasn't able to talk to him until he was in Mexico.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinHundreds of thousands of people, dead because of a decision made by the world's richest man
- One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinAnd let's name names. #ElonMusk #MarcoRubio #RussellVought and #DonaldTrump (with help from #JohnRoberts). This is premeditated murder--of children. You can spin it anyway you like but you cannot escape this fact.
- One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
- Cuts to the NIH imperil health today and in the future. As though that’s not enough, there’s also this: “The overall domestic impact of the cuts to NIH funding is currently estimated at $11 billion in economic losses and 49,000 jobs, with $17 billion in future economic losses predicted annually.”
- We have a new timeline up today on our Medical Research Funding page, documenting the onslaught of political, legal, and bureaucratic attacks on medical research since January: unbreaking.org/issues/medic...
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein🧵1/5 Article a few weeks old and no less devastating. It is *tragic*, morally repugnant, and simply *dangerous* that DOGE/this admin have fired the experts working on fighting outbreaks. We cannot protect ourselves if we remove the infrastructure and staff working tirelessly to keep us safe. 🎁🔗👇
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinThis story comes out the same day the architect of this monstrous policy gets approval for a near-trillion-dollar payout from his government-subsidized company. Utterly despicable.
- One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinOne analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
- “Puryear recalls a recent meeting that consisted entirely of her colleagues announcing they'd had to halt their studies related to H5N1 in humans because of the administration's funding cuts.”
- Migrating wild birds are spreading the virus to domesticated flocks, increasing the risk of eventually seeing a human outbreak. Scientists are troubled by the muted federal response. n.pr/4913a0E
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinBy this time next week, the estimated deaths due to the illegal destruction of USAID and the shuttering of its aid efforts will breach 400,000. More than 260,000 will be children. Source: www.bu.edu/sph/news/art...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinPregnancy became far more dangerous in Texas after the state banned abortion, according to our analysis, which found the sepsis rate for women hospitalized as they miscarried in the 2nd trimester shot up by more than 50%. (Published February)
- Join us tomorrow!
- I’m delighted to host David Petruccelli at the University of Connecticut on November 6th for a talk about how a 1968 Vienna trial over pornography sparked national and international debates on morality, law, and identity. Join us! events.uconn.edu/human-rights...
- I'm delighted to give a pre-launch book talk at Dartmouth on 11/10. Why is eastern Europe necessary for understanding global health and health as a right? Come hear my talk and look for my book in the spring! "For Your Health and Ours" history.dartmouth.edu/events/event...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinSNAP is not a luxury, and food banks lack the resources to make up this deficit. SNAP is a literal lifeline for 42 million people who Trump is saying he will literally break the law to see poor people starve while he remodels his bathroom and holds Gatsby-themed parties.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinIf in DC area on Wed, Nov 5, join us, APHA, and many others for a rally. Where: National Mall, 7th Street, N.W. between Madison and Jefferson (near the Hirshhorn Museum) When: Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 2:30-4 p.m. Why: Rally for critical public health issues and initiatives. More: APHA.org/rally
- I love my town’s voting stickers — designed by local school kids. Make the kids proud and go vote! Even if it’s the most local of elections, even if there’s no real contest. All politics is ultimately local. And the act of participating in democracy matters. Also a way to check your registration.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinA horrific mass murder is unfolding in Sudan, where no one can see it. The RSF are murdering civilians in El Fasher, having finally defeated the Sudanese army forces holding out in the city. The BBC has managed to speak to some who escaped www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7fC...
- I’m delighted to host David Petruccelli at the University of Connecticut on November 6th for a talk about how a 1968 Vienna trial over pornography sparked national and international debates on morality, law, and identity. Join us! events.uconn.edu/human-rights...
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein"Nathaniel Redmond, director of the Yale school of public health, said on Tuesday that the “horror, scale and velocity of killing” in El Fasher had left pools of blood visible from satellites" Pity the West simply does not have any tools to pressure UAE, which is the RSF's main funder and supplier
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinWHO condemns the reported killing of more than 460 patients and their companions, as well as the abduction of six health workers, on 28 October from the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, Sudan. Read the full press release: bit.ly/3WuVZ9u
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein“Nathaniel Redmond, director of the Yale school of public health, said on Tuesday that the “horror, scale, and velocity of killing” in El Fasher had left pools of blood visible from satellites.”
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinThere are 2 winners here: Trial lawyers and expert witnesses. They will ride this gravy train and enjoy the billable hours. Public health, parents, kids, trust: all will be harmed 🤦🏻♂️
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinThe ceasefire is not the end of the suffering in #Gaza. Thousands of Palestinians still need urgent medical care and evacuation. Watch Abu Abed Moughaisib, MSF physician and Medical Advisor, speak about the critical medical evacuation needs and the ongoing crisis.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinSaving Sight is a United24 campaign to raise money for medical equipment to treat eye injuries among both civilians and soldiers in Ukraine. You can make a meaningful difference to many people's lives by donating here. @u24.gov.ua u24.gov.ua/saving-sight...
- Reposted by Sara Silversteincredible modeling from impactcounter.com shows that trump and musk have killed nearly 600,000 people with their illegal cuts to date. nearly 400,000 of them were children.
- Yes. This is exactly what is happening.
- I am deeply worried we’re still stuck in public health trying to fact-check RFKjr. easily done. But Bigger Picture: he is useful to broader authoritarian moves precisely because he delegitimizes facts and institutions. Just happens to be on health… www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
- I'm getting ads for ivermectin. They say it can "cleanse what doctors miss" and prevent chronic illness and cancer. The image is a woman kissing a large medicine bottle, with a rapturous look on her face. Why is faith in ivermectin as a cure-all so persistent among skeptics of medical expertise?
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinWent to a prayer service tonight at St. Mary of the Lake, where they have cardboard cutouts throughout the church representing parishioners afraid to come to Mass because of ICE.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinI wrote an OpEd back in April about how mass deportations, tariffs, cuts to safety net programs, and mass firings and funding cuts to federal institutions were going to undermine food safety and access in the United States. Nobody would publish it. 😕 I think they thought I was overreacting.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinOh
- "Trump’s 21st century eugenics — from ending diversity programs in colleges or the workplace to the obsession with finding the pill or shot or whatever that has made some kids 'not normal' — is the unifying force of his dictatorship."
- If your kid is on the spectrum, or if you're transgender, or speak Spanish, or just grow a beard, they hate you because you dare to be 'different' Inside the war on this basic human right -- to not conform -- that is central to Trump's fascist project My new column www.inquirer.com/opinion/trum...
- These reports of ICE horrifically mistreating pregnant women are so upsetting. This is abuse and another result of eugenic principles. I also can't read them as anything but echoes of accounts I've read and listened to of pregnant women in Nazi concentration camps. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinMore than 420 state bills attacking key public health protections have been introduced in 2025. Around 30 bills in 12 states have already been enacted or adopted. Please call your state's elected officials!
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein“Medical staff did not give her any food, water, or pain medication for several hours. Much later that evening, after a significant loss of blood, Lucia was transported to an emergency room approximately an hour away, with her arms and legs shackled.” www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinAll politics is local. Vote out your state reps who peddle in this dangerous anti-science nonsense.
- Reposted by Sara Silverstein“The tax documents, obtained by NBC News from ICAN, show the increasing prominence and profitability of the anti-vaccine movement in the ongoing fight over vaccine policies and public health.” Follow the profit motive of anti-vax and MAHA leaders and influencers.
- Reposted by Sara SilversteinAn AP investigation found that more than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses this year, part of a campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. to.pbs.org/43dxCkD
