In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story builds on The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project,” which reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on the original "1619 Project, "weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. …
In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of Virginia bearing a cargo of twenty to thirty enslaved people from Africa. Their arrival led to the barbaric and unprecedented system of American chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. This is sometimes referred to as the country’s original sin, but it is more than that: It is the source of so much that still defines the United States.
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story builds on The New York Times Magazine’s award-winning “1619 Project,” which reframed our understanding of American history by placing slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of our national narrative. This book substantially expands on the original "1619 Project, "weaving together eighteen essays that explore the legacy of slavery in present-day America with thirty-six poems and works of fiction that illuminate key moments of oppression, struggle, and resistance. The essays show how the inheritance of 1619 reaches into every part of contemporary American society, from politics, music, diet, traffic, and citizenship to capitalism, religion, and our democracy itself. This legacy can be seen in the way we tell stories, the way we teach our children, and the way we remember. Together, the elements of the book reveal a new origin story for the United States, one that helps explain not only the persistence of anti-Black racism and inequality in American life today, but also the roots of what makes the country unique.
The book also features an elaboration of the original project’s Pulitzer Prize–winning lead essay by Nikole Hannah-Jones on how the struggles of Black Americans have expanded democracy for all Americans, as well as two original pieces from Hannah-Jones, one of which makes a case for reparative solutions to this legacy of injustice.
This book isn't the easiest to read, but it is the most important one I've read in years. It fills in gaps and reframes our country's history to include black americans. I am sorry that at the same time this crucial truth is getting recognition there are people trying to shut down any acknowledgement of the impact of systemic racism in America. How can we succeed if we don't acknowledge the truth around us?
Angelou's quote about knowledge and action that I borrowed for the title of this review was not quoted during this text, (as far as I can recall) however it was on the top of my mind throughout my reading of it. Part of being able to make a just society is to educate the ignorant portions of that society to the the injustices inherent in it. This text does that. My own ignorance of the depth of inequality in the US, established and perpetuated by the self interest of the powerful as expressed through racist policy was vast. This compilation of great work inspires me to dig deeper, and to do more.
Kudos to the authors and the editors for pulling together such a fascinating collection of 18 essays backed with twice that many poems/short prose to illustrate the timeline. history lessons, sociology lessons, lessons in humanity/inhumanity and the cognitive dissonance that is the usa.
