March 15, 2025
Waterloo allegedly canceled the unique read-in occasion beneath menace from the Trump administration’s new schooling initiatives.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Howard College professor has taken it into her personal fingers to maintain Black writers and authors within the forefront. On March 15, Hannah-Jones hosted her very personal Waterloo, Iowa, “African American Learn-In,” after the unique one was canceled because of President Donald Trump’s menace to withhold Ok-12 funding if faculties don’t take away range from their curriculum.
Waterloo is the college district with the biggest proportion of Black youngsters in Iowa, with a inhabitants of 67,000, highlighting the significance of Hannah-Jones’ read-in. Often, the district would take part in its personal annual “read-in” that might happen throughout the complete state. The occasion would spotlight Black books, authors, and themes as they’re being threatened inside the curriculum.
Nonetheless, Ok-12 faculties in Waterloo have determined to cancel this yr’s readings and have attributed the change partially to Trump’s fixed push to eradicate race-based teachings throughout America. He has reportedly threatened to withhold authorities funding from any Ok-12 faculties that proceed to include range into its curriculum. After listening to that Waterloo wouldn’t be having a learn this yr, Hannah-Jones stepped in to do it herself.
In a video posted on her social media on March 10, Hannah-Jones formally introduced she will probably be presenting “An African American Learn-In” in Waterloo. The occasion will probably be fully free to those that attend and can function a formidable panel of Black authors to host readings and conversations about Black books. Hannah-Jones added that she’s going to hand out “a whole lot” of free books, together with her very personal — “The 1619 Challenge.”
In her hometown of Waterloo, and as a former reporter for The New York Instances, Hannah-Jones participated in creating “The 1619 Challenge,” — a guide that includes a sequence of articles that meticulously traced fashionable American lice to its roots in slavery.
Hannah-Jones’ “The 1619 Challenge” has printed each an grownup model and a picture-book model tailored for kids.
Within the video posted to her Instagram account, Hannah-Jones started, “Why am I holding this occasion? Waterloo is my hometown, and Waterloo has probably the most closely Black faculty district within the state of Iowa, and it’s the most closely Black metropolis within the state of Iowa.”
She continued, “And so they backed out due to the brand new directives popping out of the Trump administration. And that’s actually the explanation these directives exist … They’re actually to intimidate faculty districts from educating Black historical past and Black books. And so my district determined to not take part for worry of penalties.”
She defined that the choice is what spurred the 1619 Freedom Faculty — an after-school academy Hannah-Jones beforehand based — to step in.
“We determined we’d not deprive our youngsters — all of our youngsters, of all races — of the flexibility to learn inspiring and affirming books in regards to the Black expertise.”
She listed a number of of her author mates who can be attending the read-in, together with Jacqueline Woodson, Derek Barnes, and Tammy Charles.
She concluded, “So this Saturday we can have a large, colossal, lovely group African American read-in.”
The March 15 will run between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Waterloo West Excessive Faculty.
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