DES MOINES, Iowa — A bill introduced in the Iowa House would cut funding to schools and state universities that use a Pulitzer Prize-winning look at slavery and Blacks contribution in America to its curriculum.
The 1619 Project is longform effort by the New York Times that “aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americas at the very center of our national narrative,” per the introduction to the 2019 project.
Nikole Hannah-Jones created the 1619 Project; her 10,000-word introductory essay won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary. Hannah-Jones is a native of Waterloo, Iowa.
Iowa House File 222 seeks to ban the use of the 1619 Project by any school district or state university.
The bill would restrict the United States curriculum budgets of school districts and Board of Regents universities – Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa – for each day the 1619 Project was taught.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Orange City, sponsored the bill. It is currently assigned to committee.
Legislators in Arkansas and Mississippi introduced similar bills, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
