What Is ‘The 1619 Project’ Trump Has Been Criticizing?

Last week, Nikole Hannah-Jones addressed the past criticism she received from President Donald Trump for her work on The 1619 Project. Though it was described as "toxic propaganda" by the former president in a 2020 speech, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist sees his condemnation as a "badge of honor."

"We are in a dangerous time," she told Deadline. "But if your work is not having impact, powerful people don't spend so much effort attacking it. They don't attack insignificant work."

Since its inception in 2019, The 1619 Project has expanded into multiple forms of entertainment and is still catching new eyes everyday. So, here's a refresher on its creator and the purpose of the project:

Who is Nikole Hannah-Jones?

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a professor, author, and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter credited with the creation of The 1619 Project. Most of her work focuses on investigating civil rights and racial injustice — she's also founded several organizations at Black institutions, including the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting at Morehouse College, the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University, and the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa.

What is The 1619 Project?

Originally a magazine issue with The New York Times, The 1619 Project is a reframing of our nation's history that centers slavery and its continued effects on American institutions, laws, and culture.

The magazine issue launched in August 2019, during the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. The Pulitzer Center also collaborated with the publication to develop educational curriculum for "K12 Classrooms, out-of-school time programs, and higher education programs" across the country.

Hannah-Jones went on to earn a Pulitzer Prize for the personal essay she included in the project. In 2021, she expanded on the project's mission with an anthology titled The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story. Featuring a collection of essays, poems, and works of fiction from some of the most important Black writers today, the book is a "definitive account" of how racism and Black resistance has shaped the United States.

What are the main criticisms about the project?

In December 2019, five historians penned a letter to address the "factual errors" about major events included in the project — most notably, Hannah-Jones's assertion that the founders declared the colonies' independence from Britain in order to continue slavery. These errors, the letter asserts, were born from ideology rather than historical accuracy. Signatories also took issue with the closed process behind the magazine's fact-checking.

The following year, Northwestern history professor Leslie M. Harris published an article with Politico to explain the fact-checking she completed for the project. She, too, believed Hannah-Jones's assertion was inaccurate, fearing it would discredit the entire project.

New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief, Jake Silverstein, responded to the criticisms in an official letter. Though she has continued to back up this claim, Hannah-Jones has acknowledged that the phrasing in her introductory essay might have been too strong.

Have there been other adaptations?

1. The 1619 Audio Series

In collaboration with The New York Times Magazine, 1619 is a five-episode series showing the lasting effects of slavery on American institutions in the present day. Topics covered include economics, music, federal health care programs, and land ownership.

2. The Born on the Water picture book

Born on the Water is an illustrated children's book that serves as an accompaniment to The 1619 Project anthology (both were celebrated at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list). The story follows a young Black girl who, after being assigned a family tree project, learns about the history of her stolen ancestors from her grandmother.

3. The 1619 Project Hulu docuseries

The six-episode docuseries uses a combination of interviews, cultural analyses, and stories from Hannah-Jones's experiences as a biracial woman to discuss different facets of American life. The episodes — titled "Democracy," "Race," "Music," "Capitalism," "Fear," and "Justice" — come together to show how "no part of America's story has been untouched by slavery."