Nikole Hannah-Jones Will Speak At NJEA Teachers' Convention

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ ? Journalist and professor Nikole Hannah-Jones will be one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming New Jersey teachers' union convention, scheduled to be held Nov. 10 and 11 this year in Atlantic City.

Every November, all New Jersey public schools are closed for two days so teachers can attend the convention and training, led by the state teachers' union, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA).

Hannah-Jones will be one of event's four keynote speakers, including actor LeVar Burton of "Roots" and "Reading Rainbow," Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg and Nyle DiMarco, a deaf activist and winner of "Dancing with the Stars.

Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for her New York Times Magazine essay, "The 1619 Project," which explores the history of slavery and racism in America. 1619 is a reference to the year the first ship of slaves was brought to the American colonies.

Hannah-Jones is controversial in some conservative circles because some say "The 1619 Project" tries to re-frame American history. As she wrote, Hannah-Jones has argued for "understanding 1619 as our true founding," or that 1619 is the year when America truly began because that is when the first slave ship arrived here. She also argues that slavery is one of the main factors that led to the American Revolution.

After her work was published, five historians published a letter in the New York Times requesting a correction on the essay. A request that was denied. The essay went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2019.

"She's one of the architects of critical race theory, and we've heard a lot of denials from many circles that critical race theory is even being taught in New Jersey schools," said Assemblyman Gerry Scharfenberger, a Republican who represents Monmouth County.

Critical race theory is a decades-old legal and academic framework that examines how race and racism shaped U.S. laws and institutions, that has been around from before Hannah-Jones was born.

Scharfenberg and his colleague in the state Assembly, Vicky Flynn introduced a bill last September that would ban critical race theory from being taught in New Jersey public schools. The bill has failed to advance out of committee in Trenton.

The term "critical race theory" has prompted local and national outrage, bills banning its teaching and even became a rally point for political pundits. Former gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli even raised the issue on the campaign trail, saying "there is systemic racism ... (but) critical race theory has elements to it that suggest that the white student, the white person is the oppressor and the Black and brown is the oppressed."

But the New Jersey School Boards Association says the term has been inaccurately used and that it's "primarily used in higher-level university and graduate courses."

A spokesman for the NJEA declined to say this week how much the union is paying Hannah-Jones to speak.

"Nikole Hannah-Jones is one of four keynote speakers who will speak at the NJEA Convention," said NJEA spokesman Steve Baker. "She is distinguished in her field, and we believe she has valuable insight to share with NJEA members about the importance of understanding and teaching American history in a comprehensive and truthful way."