Nikole Hannah-Jones Hosts Black Read-In When Schools Wouldn’t
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Howard University professor, is hosting a Black read-in event in Waterloo, Iowa, after the local school district canceled its annual participation. Waterloo, home to Iowa’s largest percentage of Black students, has traditionally taken part in the statewide reading event highlighting Black books, authors, and themes.
Hannah-Jones, who considers Waterloo her hometown, played a key role in creating The 1619 Project, a series of articles tracing American life back to slavery. The project sparked conservative backlash, including from former President Donald Trump. When she learned that Waterloo schools opted out of this year’s event—partly due to Trump’s threats to withhold federal funding from schools incorporating diversity—she decided to take action.
On Monday, she announced her own “African American Read-In” via social media. The free event, set for Saturday in Waterloo, will feature Black authors, book readings, and discussions. She also plans to distribute “hundreds” of free books, including The 1619 Project and its children’s adaptation.
In an Instagram video, Hannah-Jones explained her motivation: “Waterloo has the most heavily Black school district and the most heavily Black city in Iowa.” Census data shows Waterloo’s Black population is just over 17%, and Black students make up around 14% of the school district.
The district, which once educated Hannah-Jones, backed out of the event due to new directives from the Trump administration, which she believes are designed to intimidate schools from teaching Black history. She called the decision an example of the chilling effect such policies have on education.
Determined not to let students miss out, Hannah-Jones turned to the 1619 Freedom School, an after-school academy she founded in Waterloo. “We decided we would not deprive our children—of all races—of the ability to read inspiring and affirming books about the Black experience,” she said.
The event will include well-known Black authors such as Jacqueline Woodson, Derek Barnes, and Tammy Charles. Hannah-Jones described it as a “massive, colossal, beautiful community African American read-in.”
She also noted the lack of local media coverage, saying that news stations refused to report on the event after the schools canceled theirs. Instead, she took a grassroots approach to spreading the word. “Please join us March 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for this liberatory act of READING AS RESISTANCE,” she urged on Instagram.
