Creator Of '1619 Project' To Speak At Arlington Public Library Event

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington Public Library is hosting Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of “The 1619 Project,” as part of “Banned Books Week” in September.

The lecture by Hannah-Jones will take place at Washington-Liberty High School’s auditorium at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and attendance is first-come, first-served until capacity is reached. The event will also be livestreamed for those who cannot attend in person.

“The 1619 Project” is The New York Times Magazine’s reframing of American history that places slavery and its continuing legacy at the center of the nation’s history. The project, initially launched in August 2019, helped explain the persistence of anti-Black racism and inequality in modern America and its roots in the country.

A book, “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story,” was published as part of the project.

Banned Books Week is an annual celebration of the freedom to read by libraries and bookstores.

For the past year, conservative policymakers, groups and parents in Virginia and many parts of the country have been rallying to ban books from school libraries and public libraries that they dislike, with some officials calling for the books to be burned.

Residents can RSVP to receive a reminder of the Sept. 20 event with Hannah-Jones.