1619 Project author says she 'doesn’t understand' why parents should have say in kids’ education

New York Times reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones said she didn’t “understand this idea that parents should decide what’s being taught” in schools, during an NBC interview on Sunday.

The NBC show “Meet the Press” framed its Dec. 26 show around “Schools, America, and Race,” using Hannah-Jones’ “1619 Project” to discuss education and critical race theory.

"Did you intend for The 1619 Project to become public school curriculum, or did you intend it to start a debate to improve the curriculum of how we teach American history?" host Chuck Todd asked.

Hannah-Jones replied that the project was originally pitched as a “work of journalism,” but admitted that it “could be a great learning tool for students.”

"Now The New York Times has an education division, The New York Times regularly turned its journalism into curriculum, as did The Pulitzer Center, who we ultimately partnered with. They are constantly turning works of journalism into curriculum," Hannah-Jones said.

"It's only become controversial because people have decided to make The 1619 Project controversial," she added.

The New York Times' 1619 Project is a racial retelling of American history that frames the history of the U.S. as not beginning in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but in 1619, when the first African slaves arrived in colonial Virginia. It has been criticized by historians, including its own factcheckers, and was quietly edited after considerable pushback.

When Todd raised the backlash against racial education in schools, Hannah-Jones responded that parents and lawmakers should not decide what is taught in schools because they do not have the expertise.

"So, I think we should frame that question properly," she continued. "And I don't really understand this idea that parents should decide what's being taught. I'm not a professional educator. I don't have a degree in social studies or science we send our children to school because we want them to be taught by people who have expertise in the subject area. And that is not my job."

Hannah-Jones acknowledged the comparison to Terry McAuliffe, the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor of Virginia, who caused controversy with similar comments earlier this year.

"When the governor or the candidate said that he didn't think parents should be deciding what's being taught in school, he was panned for that, but that's just the fact. This is why we send our children to school and don't home school," Hannah-Jones said.

School lockdowns during COVID resulted in a surge of interest for homeschooling, including among Black parents.