by Aziah Siid
Home to the school district with the largest percentage of Black children in Iowa, schoolchildren in the city of Waterloo, population 67,000, typically participated in an annual statewide “read-in” highlighting Black books, authors, and themes.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Howard University professor, Nikole Hannah-Jones considers Waterloo, the state’s fifth-largest city, her hometown. As a former reporter for The New York Times, Hannah-Jones helped create “The 1619 Project,” a series of articles that traced nearly every facet of American life to the institution of slavery. The groundbreaking articles infuriated conservatives, including President Donald Trump.
So when she heard that K-12 schools in Waterloo had canceled this year’s readings — in part because of Trump’s threat to withhold government funding from K-12 schools that incorporate diversity into its curriculum — Hannah-Jones decided to do it herself.
Free Event, Free Books
On Monday, in a video posted on social media, she announced she will present what she’s calling “An African American Read-In” in Waterloo this Saturday, a free event featuring Black authors she’s invited to join her. Along with readings and conversations, Hannah-Jones will hand out “hundreds” of free books, including copies of “The 1619 Project” for adults and an adapted picture-book version for children.
“Why am I holding this event?” Hannah-Jones says in a video posted on her Instagram account. “Waterloo is my home town, and Waterloo has the most heavily Black school district in the state of Iowa, and it is the most heavily Black city in the state of Iowa.”
According to the Census Bureau, the Black population of Waterloo is just over 17%, more than double the percentage of Latinos. Black school children make up around 14% of the town’s student population.
Trump’s Chilling Effect
The school district that educated her opted out of this year’s statewide read-in, “and they backed out because of the new directives coming out of the Trump administration,” Hannah-Jones says. “And that’s really the reason these directives exist … They are really to intimidate school districts from teaching Black history and Black books. And so my district decided not to participate for fear of consequences.”
“That’s when we at the 1619 Freedom School decided to step up,” she says, referring to an after-school academy Hannah-Jones founded in her hometown. “We decided we would not deprive our children — all of our children, of all races — of the ability to read inspiring and affirming books about the Black experience.”
The event will feature some of “my brilliant writer friends,” including Jacqueline Woodson, Derek Barnes and Tammy Charles, Hannah-Jones says. “So this Saturday we will have a massive, colossal, beautiful community African American read-in.”
The chilling effect of Trump’s anti-DEI crusade apparently has extended to the Waterloo news media, Hannah-Jones said. Instead of relying on them, she said, Hannah-Jones took the same DIY approach as she did in creating the event.
“Local news stations won’t cover this free African American Read-In I’m holding in my hometown after the local schools canceled theirs,” Hannah-Jones said in a video posted to her Instagram account. “So we have to get the word out ourselves. Please join us March 15 from 11 am-1 pm for this liberatory act of READING AS RESISTANCE.”
