In 1619, a ship named the White Lion landed in what's now the state of Virginia, and it brought

something different to sell. Black people. That's at least as formative a moment for a nation as 1776 ever was.

Because without black labor and culture, would the United States even be recognizable? That's the

argument put forth by Nicole Hannah-Jones.

She's a journalist, an author, and a Howard University professor, and two years ago, she

launched the 1619 project.

It's a collection of New York Times Magazine articles, photography, and podcast, and that

project used a long-ago boat landing in Virginia as a launching point to talk about black

people's

roles in shaping the United States. Nicole has been praised and vilified for her work on it

ever since. I'm Gustavariano. You're listening to The Times, Daily News from the LA Times.

It's Monday, Martin Luther King Day, January 17th, 2022.

Today, we bring you a conversation between Nicole and Los Angeles Times executive editor,

Kevin Merida. The 1619 project is now a book, and in a live event with the LA Times Book Club,

Kevin and Nicole talked about how black people can be patriotic despite centuries of mistreatment

and about using mountains of research to get back at the haters.

This version of the talk has been cut down for length and clarity.

Enjoy.

Thank you. You know, you got to let that applause sink in a little bit.

Right.

Enjoy that.

The 1619 project is a new origin story, as you described, and you have your own origin story.

...