The 1619 Project: The Birth of a Nation on the Waters

Pamela Jarmon-Wade: I attended an evening with phenomenal author Nikole Hannah-Jones. Her conversation about The 1619 Project was passionate, soul stirring, unapologetic real kitchen table talk. I could not wait to get the books. I ordered both the adult and the children's book. I read the children's book first, so that I could be prepared immediately to share with my grandkids. I totally enjoyed this book from cover to cover and page by page! The beautiful illustrations by Nikkolas Smith compliment the story. Each page shows the illustrations from a free race of people thriving abundantly in their home land, being kidnapped, enslaved, chained on a ship of horror sailing to America, The brutality of hundreds of years of enslavement, the resistance, the hope, the survival, the legacy, and the pride! This book is a great way to share where the African American story began, how our ancestors built this country called America, the strength of our race and the pride. Let's be clear...every Black child should know that they are their ancestors' dreams come true.

United States on Sep 29, 2023

Icohen5: I have read it so many times I have had to create alternatives to keep my sanity.

United States on Sep 26, 2023

Tosha: Loved the book! Bought it for my teens & future grandkids! Great illustrations!

United States on Sep 26, 2023

Quin: I absolutely love this book! When I was a kid in school in the late 80s in a majority white school, I cannot adequately express the dread I felt when we reached that part of our text books that discussed slavery. I can still feel the heat of embarrassment I felt as some of my white classmates would look over at me. Some looks of pity, some in shock and disbelief and yes, some with smirk of superiority. As the textbook read, the only thing between the “slaves” and all of the other things on the ship was a comma. (Tobacco, slaves, cotton, sugar, etc.). Not even a hint that the “slaves” were human beings.
Fast forwarding to when my son was in school, his textbook covered it in a similar way. He felt the same discomfort that I felt back then and it broke my heart. I passionately explained that the “slaves” in the book were mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, shaman, etc. They loved, sang and dance just like we do today. They had a community and worked just like we do today. The difference was they were kidnapped and sold to profit their enslavers and others. I didn’t want him to think that our ancestors we were ever equal to sugar, tobacco or cotton only to be...

United States on Aug 09, 2023

Austin Transplant: I read this poetic and historical photograph to my 8-year-old triplet grandchildren, hoping to get through a few pages before their normal hyperactivity set in. Instead, they sat around me as I narrated this wonderful story, enraptured by the journey from West Africa to Virginia, a terrible trip to a foreign place. At the end of the story, these three beautiful, blond children asked so many unanswerable questions, begged me to tell them more about what happened to the slaves. Did anyone in our family, long ago, own other human beings? Yes, sadly, yes. Wasn’t it illegal to keep people as slaves? No, sadly, no. Why not? Money, mainly, I said. One of them said, “ Does everyone know this story? I didn’t know how to tell them that some people in some states don’t want white children like them to be sad about slavery, so I just said that. And one of the boys almost shouted:”Well, that’s stupid! How can people get better if they don’t know the truth!” How, indeed. Buy this book. Buy several copies and give them away to children, Black and White. And hope we get better.

United States on Jun 29, 2023

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Italy on Dec 13, 2021