“The 1619 Project:” Contributions to history
Black stories unheard, unknown brought to light
From the rhythmic Afrobeat, to the poetic narration and the voices of African Americans throughout the span of history, Hulu’s six-part documentary series, “The 1619 Project,” packs a powerful and eye-opening punch.
The documentary series, developed and obtained from essays by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole HannahJones and the New York Times, provides a closer look into African American experiences and contributions within our nation’s history.
The docuseries, starring and narrated by Hannah-Jones, follows her through her journey of reflecting on her own personal cultural background and trying to understand the lives, culture, and history of African Americans that helped shape America’s history—starting at the very beginning with the first enslaved Africans.
Each episode follows Hannah-Jones as she interviews various historians, professors, musical icons, and everyday Black Americans as they discuss topics on democracy, race, music, capitalism, fear, and justice. Th e series is told through the lens of Black Americans and their stories that are unheard and unknown.
The first episode, “Democracy,” starts with a background of the sun setting over the ocean, followed by a short text explaining that in 1619 the first ship of Africans was brought to Virginia, one of the British colonies of America. Viewers can then hear Hannah-Jones narrate a summary of the documentary before segueing into the heart of the episode of the relationship between Black Americans and democracy in America.
The next episode, “Race,” discusses the beginning of how the creation of the term race would become something that continues to define our lives when living in the U.S. while examining the role race plays to Black women and the continued history of myths surrounding Black Americans.
The third episode, “Music,” goes down memory lane of Motown, disco, funk, pop, and hip-hop through the history of Black music and its impact on American culture.
Viewers of the show can expect much more creative and informational material from the rest of the series that continues to dive deeper into Africans America culture, perspectives, and history. “The 1619 Project” is a revolutionary must-watch.
