Why Black, American, & Mixed Histories Can't be Separated
Sir Auntie Mane & I on Why the 1619 Project on HULU is a MUST-WATCH!
Here’s the thing:
With all the political bruhaha around Black history, the brilliance of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ multi-platform 1619 Project cannot be overstated. It is a masterwork that can benefit everyone.
What is this 1619 Project anyway? And why is it so essential not only to our times, but for the future of our entire nation?
In 2019, Nikole, a Biracial Black-white investigative journalist acclaimed for her coverage of civil rights issues, was a staff writer at The New York Times. There, she developed the groundbreaking 1619 project as a 100-page issue of The New York Times Magazine with 10 written essays, a photo essay, and a collection of poems and fiction that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first group of enslaved African people in Virginia, then an English colony.
She created the 1619 Project to reframe U.S. history by centering the impact of slavery and the importance of African American contributions to national life. Already a recipient of a 2017 MacArthur Fellowship “Genius Grant,” she won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 2020 for the 1619 Project. Today she is also the inaugural Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at the Howard University School of Communications, where she established the Center for Journalism and Democracy.
The 1619 Project has grown to encompass multiple platforms, including an educational curriculum, live events, a podcast, and two books: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, a book-length expansion of the project’s essays and poetry, and a children’s picture book, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water.
This month, Hulu premiered the six-part documentary TV series. Each episode features a different theme: Democracy. Race. Music. Capitalism. Fear. Justice.
In honor of Black History Month, Sir Auntie Mane and I viewed the series to share our thoughts with YOU! Join us as we dive into the project’s impact, and the importance of Nikole weaving her own Mixed family history and identity throughout the series.