1776 Unites

1776 Unites is a project led by African-American academics and advocates to promote founding American values like entrepreneurship, self-determination, and mutual social support.[1] 1776 Unites is supported by Robert Woodson, President and founder of the Woodson Center; academics including Carol M. Swain, Glenn Loury, Jason D. Hill, Wilfred Reilly, Shelby Steele, John McWhorter, and John Sibley Butler;[2] and other contributors including journalists Coleman Hughes and Clarence Page.[3] They will present stories of upward mobility and resilience that document the successes of African Americans.

This article is about the 2020 project sponsored by the Woodson Center. For the 2021 project by the United States government, see 1776 Commission.

The project's message

In addition to material on U.S. history and historical controversies, contributors to 1776 Unites promote current and historical examples of prosperous Black communities as “a powerful refutation of the claim that the destiny of Black Americans is determined by what whites do, or what they have done in the past.”[4] 1776 Unites also promotes the work and thought of entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business and community leaders, and others it considers achievers, to illustrate the opportunities for success that are open to African Americans today, their contributions to national economic and cultural life, and their stake in U.S. life and history.[1]

Robert Woodson said his central motivation in founding 1776 Unites was to counter the narratives he claimed were embedded in the 1619 Project, developed by the New York Times, which postulates that the founding of America in a structural and economic sense occurred not in 1776, the year of its declared independence, but rather in 1619 when the first slaves arrived. He called the 1619 Project's thesis "one of the most diabolical, self-destructive ideas that I’ve ever heard" and that the assumptions behind the 1619 Project are actually a form of white supremacy.[1] In addition to critiquing arguments that place slavery at the center of America's origins, 1776 Unites also publicizes the historical achievements of African American individuals and communities, including those who had been “in slavery but not of slavery” and became successful business leaders after emancipation.[4]

History of the project

1776 Unites was publicly launched in a kickoff event at the National Press Club on February 14, 2020, featuring project contributors Glenn Loury, Coleman Hughes, Clarence Page, Jason D. Hill, Robert Cherry, Carol M. Swain, Taleeb Starkes, John Sibley Butler, Ian Rowe, Wilfred Reilly, Toni McIlwane, and Latasha Harrison Fields, along with project founder Woodson.[5] That same day, 1776 Unites partnered with the Washington Examiner to release a series of essays critical of the 1619 Project, celebrating African-American contributions to business and education and arguing that slavery and its ugly legacy should not be seen as definitive of the black experience.[6]

In September 2020, 1776 Unites announced a curriculum that will offer life lessons from largely unknown African-American figures from the past who have triumphed over adverse conditions.[7]

References
  1. Stepman, Jarrett (February 19, 2020). "Black Scholars, Leaders Rebuke 1619 Project's Victimhood Narrative". The Daily Signal. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  2. Dahl, Ziva (February 29, 2020). "Racist America? Countering the 1619 Project's False Narrative". The American Spectator.
  3. "A roundtable discussion on the Times' 1619 Project". MSNBC.com. May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "Bob Woodson on supporting high-achieving families in low-income communities, countering NY Times' 1619 Project". Fox News. March 9, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. "African American History". c-span. February 14, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  6. "1776". Washington Examiner. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  7. McArdle, Mairead (September 16, 2020). "Black Leaders Launch '1776 Unites' High School Curriculum as 'Inspirational Alternative' to NYT's 1619 Project". National Review.
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