Overview

“The United States is a nation founded on both an ideal and a lie.”

With her unvarnished look at the role of slavery and its legacy on the making of our nation, Nikole Hannah-Jones tells us that “[w]ithout the idealistic, strenuous and patriotic efforts of black Americans, our democracy today would most likely look very different—it might not be a democracy at all.”

The award-winning journalist will discuss the NYT Magazine’s 1619 Project, a multi-media initiative marking the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Black people in Jamestown, Virginia, the system of slavery that followed and its enduring legacy in America.

She will be introduced by Shané Harris (Executive Director, The Prudential Foundation), and joined by a distinguished panel of scholars and advocates, moderated by Marcia W. Brown (Rutgers University-Newark), who will bring the conversation home to New Jersey. Panelists include Ryan P. Haygood (President and CEO, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice), Prof. Elise Boddie (The Inclusion Project at Rutgers Law School), Rev. Charles F. Boyer (Pastor and Founder of Salvation and Social Justice), Marley Dias (Creator of #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign) and Richard Roper (Public Policy Consultant).