Page 134 - 1619 Project Curriculum

In The 1619 Project, contributors analyze how contemporary social, political, and economic
structures have been influenced by slavery, sometimes in unintuitive ways. Select an article
from the issue about a topic that interests you (see suggestions above). Read the article, then

develop a pitch for a news story about how this topic intersects with race in your community.

Your pitch must include: a statement of your topic; 1–3 quotes from a story in The 1619 Project
highlighting how racist policies and racial inequities connect to this topic on a national scale;
an explanation of how these racial inequities connect to this topic in your own community; 5–

7 people you will interview for your story; the media you will use to present the story (photo,
video, text, etc.); and an argument for why this story needs to be published.
Option 2: Write and Op-ed

In The 1619 Project, contributors analyze how contemporary social, political, and economic
structures have been influenced by slavery, sometimes in unintuitive ways. Select an article
from the issue about a topic that interests you (some suggestions follow). Read the article, then
write an op-ed that answers the following questions:

• How can you see the racial inequity described in the article you read in your own
community?
• What do you think should be done to address this inequity?

7. Reframing History Through Creative Writing

Step 1. Read “The Idea of America” by Nikole Hannah-Jones and consider this statement from
the essay: “Black Americans have been, and continue to be, foundational to the idea of
American freedom. More than any other group in this country’s history, we have served,

generation after generation, in an overlooked but vital role: It is we who have been the
perfecters of this democracy.”

How does Hannah-Jones explore this theme throughout her essay? What key figures do she,

and other contributors to The 1619 Project, identify as “perfecting” U.S. democracy? Create a
list of these figures, then consider: Who else should be added to this list of key figures in U.S.

history?

Step 2. Examine the creative works in The 1619 Project. Each poem and short story is a

creative interpretation of a historical figure or event that either doesn’t get the attention it
deserves, or is often misinterpreted. After reading through these creative works, discuss: Which

poems and stories stood out to you, and why? What new information did you learn by reading

these works? How is it different to write about history in a poem or short story as opposed to
in an article? Why do you think the authors chose to use creative writing to approach their
topics?

Step 3. Use your own creative writing to reshape history. Using the creative works from The

1619 Project as models, write a poem or short story that highlights the story of one figure from

the list you created in step 1.

8. Highlighting Black American Innovators: Research, Visuals, and

Presentations