Hi, it’s Al Letson, host of Reveal and More To The Story.
When I think about my favorite contemporary Black writers, people who can best make sense of the moment we’re in, I can think of few better than Nikole Hannah-Jones. Journalist, historian, dare I say—icon?
Back in 2019, Nikole created The 1619 Project, a series of articles and essays that attempted something bold and brave: reimagining America’s founding by placing the first slave ship to arrive on Virginia’s shores at the heart of the country’s origin story. Nikole’s 1619 essay won a Pulitzer Prize and found its way into public school curricula. It was not without its critics, especially on the right. For them, Nikole soon became a symbol of “woke” and efforts to indoctrinate children.
Today, Nikole’s rethinking of America’s origin story seems central to the backlash we’re seeing from the Trump administration in its early days as it dismantles DEI programs, reshapes the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, and sometimes very literally erases Black history from federal buildings and websites.
So at this pivotal time, I sat down with Nikole to discuss how she’s viewing this moment within the larger sweep of America’s history, the personal toll of The 1619 Project, and whether what we’re experiencing today could be the beginning of another period of rebirth for Black Americans.
—Al Letson
