People used to call 1776 a pivotal year in American history, and some still do. It’s associated with the US Declaration of Independence and the birth of the American nation. But did you know that some sources suggest another date?

*The 1619 Project*, an educational program that explains US history from a different perspective, proposes a new date — August 1619. Why? In 1619, the first enslaved Africans were brought to the Virginia colony and sold to local settlers. It marked the beginning of institutionalized African slavery in the English colonies that later became the United States. Slavery had a huge impact on the social and political processes in the US, but the traditional US history hardly mentions that at the time of the country’s formation, many people were slaves. The past is idealized and cannot fully explain why there is still inequality, conflict, and social issues in America.

That’s why Nicole Hannah-Jones decided to raise this issue in her book. She noticed that teachers deliberately avoided explaining the essential events of 1619 in school. For years, the country’s history was made “convenient,” leaving the experiences of Black people unnoticed. So, *The 1619 Project* is trying to change that. Not to cause arguments, but to take an honest look at the past. If we accept these facts, it becomes easier to solve current problems and move toward a more just society.

Can you imagine that even highly educated Black people didn’t know about 1619? V. E. B. Dubois wrote about his shock at how little he had been taught about the powerful African states. Professors had never mentioned this before at universities. He realized that silence could destroy or distort the truth. This example shows that the problem was systemic, not accidental. That’s why *The 1619 Project* aims to restore to history what was left out.