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Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 06:00 AM Aug 2019

Introducing The 1619 Project

The Fourth of July in 1776 is regarded by most Americans as the country’s birthday. But what if we were to tell you that the country’s true birth date, the moment that its defining contradictions first came into the world, was in late August 1619?

That was when a ship arrived at Point Comfort in the British colony of Virginia, bearing a cargo of 20 to 30 enslaved Africans. Their arrival inaugurated a barbaric system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years and form the basis for almost every aspect of American life. The 1619 Project is a major initiative from The New York Times memorializing that event on its 400th anniversary. The goal of the project is to deepen understanding of American history (and the American present) by proposing a new point of origin for our national story. In the days and weeks to come, we will publish essays demonstrating that nearly everything that has made America exceptional grew out of slavery.

Join us for an evening of conversation and performance, streamed below, featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Jamelle Bouie, Mary Elliot, Eve Ewing, Tyehimba Jess, Yusef Komunyakaa, Wesley Morris, Jake Silverstein and Linda Villarosa.

Remember to look out for our “1619 Project” on August 18 which examines how the legacy of slavery continues to shape and define life in the United States. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/13/magazine/1619-project-livestream.html



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Introducing The 1619 Project (Original Post) Kind of Blue Aug 2019 OP
You know, that could backfire. malthaussen Aug 2019 #1
Well, I guess if you leave out "barbaric system of chattel slavery that would last Kind of Blue Aug 2019 #2

malthaussen

(17,066 posts)
1. You know, that could backfire.
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 12:20 PM
Aug 2019

If "everything that has made America exceptional grew out of slavery," is true (which seems reasonable), then mightn't that be seen as an endorsement of slavery? The NYT might want to re-think the spin on that one.

-- Mal

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
2. Well, I guess if you leave out "barbaric system of chattel slavery that would last
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 01:59 PM
Aug 2019

for the next 250 years" it might sound like an endorsement of slavery to some people. Never crossed my mind. You might want to listen to their evening of conversation to perhaps connect the dots between the two sentences and understand why TNYT is not spinning.

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