The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

In August of 1619, white Virginians purchased enslaved Africans, and the institution of American chattel slavery officially began in what would become the United States of America. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story, created by Nikole Hannah-Jones, chronicles the importance of 1619 and the lasting legacy of slavery. The details of slavery and post-slavery race relations have not been accurately discussed as part of present-day race relations. Wanting to commemorate this moment in history, the 1619 Project came to be, at first, just a special issue in the New York Times in 2019, then in 2020 expanded into a book. The 1619 Project is authored by many scholars who specialize in civil rights and race-related…