Nikole Hannah-Jones’ Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times work, The 1619 Project, has been adapted for a series on Hulu. The six-part documentary “connects American history with the present by placing the contributions of Black Americans and the consequences of slavery at the very center of our country’s narrative,” a news release reads.
Each one-hour episode of the series, also titled The 1619 Project, will touch on one of the following themes: justice, democracy, capitalism, music, fear and race. As host, Hannah-Jones will walk audiences through previously unexplored connections between America’s past and the country it is today.
Hannah-Jones, who covered ESSENCE’s “The Year of Saying No” November/December 2021 Issue is an Executive Producer of the series along with Oprah Winfrey, Academy Award-winning director Roger Ross Williams and Caitlin Roper and Kathleen Lingo of The New York Times. Peabody Award-winning executive producer Shoshana Guy served as showrunner.
In a separate interview with ESSENCE about the adaptation of The 1619 Project into the children’s book, Born on the Water, Hannah-Jones said, “The legacy of slavery is shaping the lives of our children, the society in which they live, whether we teach them about it or not. Black children, specifically, do not have the luxury of being shielded from racism, this history, and its impacts. I have too much respect for children to believe they should be lied to— even if that lie is by omission.”
The 1619 Project will debut on Hulu on January 26. Take a look at the series’ official teaser below.
