1619 Thoughts
The smells of books – worn books, books that have satiated the appetite of many a seeker – appeal to me. Their scent is an immediate allure. It’s one of the reasons I love a good library. It’s as if somehow having “lived” through many eyes, the book has gained unique status. Anywho, when I first started a new role back in 2015 my supervisor at the time advised I would need to join the State library. It was one of the first ways in which I knew, I was in the right place. So, I joined the State library.
On lunch breaks I’d walk; partly for exercise, partly to discover new lunch spots and partly to discover the new city I was working in. It’s on one of these walks I discovered the NJ State library. It was impressive, with books everywhere and sun pouring in through floor-to-ceiling windows. I’d borrow piles of books at a time yet only actually reading a couple, depending on my mood and appetite. For work, I’d borrow mostly journal articles. This particular day in August, I was heading to the library to check out an article – and this time it wasn’t for work.
I made my way to the basement on the elevator. At the time, this is where they kept the periodicals (For so many reasons I hate the connotation of this category name, but I digress). While listening to a podcast a few weeks prior to my library trip, I heard loosely about the 1619 Project and I was enthralled to know more. So, you can imagine my excitement (maybe) when I found the magazine and got cozy in a chair, in the library’s basement.
It was a lunch break, so I had limited time to peruse. It felt as though I inhaled the article in about 45 mins. It was vivid, piercing, provoking and beautifully written – a body of work that critically examined the legacy of slavery and its crucial connection to the state of life in the U.S. I’ll admit here, I’m always skeptical about any story-telling that begins with slavery – I tend to find it wildly offensive, incomplete at best, to begin an ancestral discussion about the greatness of a people (in this case African) without beginning at the beginning. Without beginning long before slavery when Africa was the cradle of life. Making an account for how a people lived their lives before the desecration began, is crucial to fully understanding. I also understand duality exists and it’s sometimes necessary to focus on acute segments of a timeline – so I read the work with an open mind.
Immediately after returning the magazine to its neat cubby square, I wanted to know more. More about the author and more about the project. So, I followed the work for months. A few months later, I was delighted to discover 1619 – the podcast. Once again, captivated by the stories and experiences, most memorably discussions with Black farmers in the deep South about their current experiences that mirrors historic truths and structural racism in farming. Then, in more recent months I learned there was a push to include 1619 in school curriculums nationally. Now, I’m no historian and I’m also not a formal teaching professional. What I am, is an ardent believer in truth, Dr. Angelou sums up my perspective beautifully – “Tell the truth, to yourself first, and to the children. Live in the present. Don’t deny the past…And know that the charge is on you to make this country more than it is today.”
As this is being published (2021), 1619 is again in the news. And all I’ll say about the current controversy is this – Give Nikole Hannah-Jones her flowers. All of them. In all the ways possible.
If you haven’t already checked out the 1619 Project and its various bodies of work, it’s worth your time and attention. I’ve included a few resources below of places to start your exploration or better understand.
Until next time, walk gud’
K.H