Speaking Truth Webinar Series: The 1619 Project, October 21, 2021
According to The New York Times, “The 1619 Project” is a long-form journalism project developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones, writers from The New York Times, and The New York Times Magazine which "aims to reframe the country's history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the very center of the United States' national narrative." Although some have described it a "dramatic and necessary corrective to the fundamental lie of the American origin story," others have dubbed it as “brainwashing,” “revisionist history,” and “propaganda masquerading as the truth.”
In the second webinar in our Speaking Truth series, we examine "The 1619 Project:"
In the second webinar in our Speaking Truth series, we examine "The 1619 Project:"
- What it is,
- What it really says,
- Its contributions to American history,
- Where it falls short, and
- How to talk about it to others.
If you miss any of the programs in this series, please know that they will be recorded and available for on-demand viewing on our YouTube channel.
Panelists
Daniel Coles

Daniel Coles is the Senior Program Manager for the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility Daniel supports a team of trainers, provides training himself, and helps guide Morningside's racial equity work. Before coming to Morningside Center, Daniel served as an induction mentor at Teachers College, providing coaching, modeling, and other support for new NYC public school teachers. He’s a licensed special education teacher and taught history and ELA at South Bronx Preparatory School and science at Millennium Art Academy. Prior to that, he served as academic advisor and interim coordinator of the College Now Program at The City College of New York. Daniel has a BA in Public Policy from Stanford, an MFA in Acting from the University of Washington, and an MS in Education from Hunter College.
Dionne Grayman

As an educator, Dionne Grayman has worked with a range of young people from incarcerated youth to students who attend specialized high schools in New York City. In her current role as staff developer for the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, she provides training and coaching support to administrators and staff in the implementation and integration of Social Emotional Learning, racial equity and restorative practices in schools to reimagine them as centers of joy, belonging and care for historically marginalized students. She has served as a community organizing consultant for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Dionne has a BA from Brooklyn College and an MS in special education from Hunter College.
Hosts/Moderators
The Rev. Dr. Gordon Gibson

Gordon Gibson has been involved in organizing and leading pilgrimages to civil rights sites since 2004. During the first weeks after Gordon was ordained, he was in Selma, Alabama, taking part in early phases of the 1965 voting rights campaign there. He also brings his experience of living in Mississippi 1969-1984 when he was the Unitarian Universalist minister in the state. For seven of those years he was also an investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In retirement, Judy and Gordon Gibson live in Knoxville, Tennessee. Gordon is the author of Southern Witness: Unitarians and Universalists in the Civil Rights Era, an engaging account of the roles that UU individuals and congregations played in the civil rights movement in the South in the 1950s and '60s. Gordon currently serves as a member of the Board and as the LLP historian.
Reggie Harris

Reggie Harris has earned distinction as one of the foremost interpreters and song leaders of the music of the Underground Railroad and the Modern Civil Rights movement. With a passion for peace and justice, Reggie travels worldwide using his gifts to share hope and raise awareness of human rights in the spirit of Dr Martin Luther King’s beloved community. Visit reggieharrismusic.com for more about his music. Reggie currently serves as co-president of the Board and Director of Music.