The 1619 Project

In August of 1619, a ship appeared on this horizon, near Point Comfort, a coastal port in the English colony of Virginia. It carried more than 20 enslaved Africans, who were sold to the colonists. No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed. On the 400th anniversary of this fateful moment, it is finally time to tell our story truthfully.
The 1619 Project The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began in August 2019, the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
1619 and American History | The 1619 Project Book
Photograph by Dannielle Bowman
For hundreds of years, enslaved people were bought and sold in America.
Today most of the sites of this trade are forgotten.
Photo essay by Dannielle Bowman; text by Anne C. Bailey
‘I slide my ring finger from Senegal to South Carolina & feel the ocean separate a million families.’
From a poem on the Middle Passage by Clint Smith. Read more original literary works created for the 1619 Project.
Their ancestors were enslaved by law.
Today, they are graduates of Howard Law School.
Photo essay by Djeneba Aduayom; text by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Wadzanai Mhute
A re-education is necessary.
The 1619 Project Continues
The 1619 Podcast
The 1619 Podcast

An audio series from The Times observing the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery.
Live at the Smithsonian
Live at the Smithsonian

Watch highlights of a symposium about how history is defined — and redefined — featuring historians, journalists and policymakers.
Reader Responses
Reader Responses

We asked you to share photographs and stories of your enslaved ancestors. The images and stories helped paint a picture of a too-often-erased American history.
Reader Responses
Reader Responses

We asked you how you learned about slavery in school. You told us about degrading role play, flawed lessons and teachers who played down its horrors.
Race/Related
Race/Related

The 1619 Project was conceived by Nikole Hannah-Jones. In this interview, she talks about the project and the reaction to it.
Sports
Sports

In the N.B.A., the very term “owner” has come under fire, as players, most of whom are black, assert self-determination.
Behind the Scenes of 1619
Behind the Scenes of 1619

Since January, The Times Magazine has been working on an issue to mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved people arriving in America.
Correction: Sept. 4, 2019

An earlier version of the introduction to this project referred incorrectly to Virginia in the year 1619 as a British colony. At the time, it was an English colony.