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Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 06:02 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
Thanks for posting this! BlueMTexpat Aug 2019 #1
Thanks so much for the links, BlueMTexpat! Kind of Blue Aug 2019 #2
You are most welcome! BlueMTexpat Aug 2019 #3
That is absolutely Wonderful! Kind of Blue Aug 2019 #4
Oh, the things we were not taught, brer cat Aug 2019 #5
I couldn't say it better, "it's a totally fresh frame of reference." Kind of Blue Aug 2019 #6
K&R for visibility. nt tblue37 Aug 2019 #7
Thank you and Right On. Kind of Blue Aug 2019 #8

BlueMTexpat

(15,349 posts)
1. Thanks for posting this!
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 09:03 AM
Aug 2019


One problem is that many of us do not have a NYTimes subscription and have used up our quota of free articles.

But here is a link to the project itself: http://www.project1619.org/

And, for those on Facebook, here is also a FB link: https://www.facebook.com/Project-1619-Inc-153027828127924/

This is some US history that most of us never learned ... and should have.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
2. Thanks so much for the links, BlueMTexpat!
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 09:34 AM
Aug 2019


I had to finally break down this early morning and subscribe online to TNYT for everything I could read on this commemoration. I ran out of my quota and was tired of cleaning out my history and stuff. I'm looking forward for the magazine this weekend.

A while ago, I read that just about every social ill in this country has a direct link to slavery and what's amazing me so far is The 1619 Project is unraveling those connections.

I'm so ready for more

BlueMTexpat

(15,349 posts)
3. You are most welcome!
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 09:36 AM
Aug 2019

Had you not posted the link, I would not have known about this fascinating and much needed project.

I have already spread the word about it on the social media sites that I belong to!

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
4. That is absolutely Wonderful!
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 09:50 AM
Aug 2019

I just hope that your friends will watch and read and keep spreading the word.

Thanks again

brer cat

(24,402 posts)
5. Oh, the things we were not taught,
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 10:12 AM
Aug 2019

at least not in white-dominated schools. But this is more than a history lesson, it's a totally fresh frame of reference. I look forward to seeing more!

Thanks for the thread, Kind of Blue.

Kind of Blue

(8,709 posts)
6. I couldn't say it better, "it's a totally fresh frame of reference."
Wed Aug 14, 2019, 10:25 AM
Aug 2019

You're so welcome, brer cat!

I'm too dagone anxious to finish work and get back to it.

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