Dear Friends,
On August 18, 2019, The New York Times began “The 1619 Project.” The goal: “to reframe the country’s history . . . placing the consequences of slavery . . . at the very center of the story we tell ourselves about who we are.”
The Project reduces American history to a story of the haves and have-nots: a story of power, dominance, privilege, and victimhood.
Why is this narrative successful?
Look no further than the books colleges assign incoming freshmen. Since 2016, the most assigned book for college common reading programs was Bryan Stevenson's Just Mercy. Stevenson is a contributor to the 1619 Project, and he opens his piece by proclaiming, "Slavery gave America a fear of black people and a taste for violent punishment."
How did we learn about Stevenson's influence on college freshmen? NAS has, for over a decade, produced a guide to college common readings titled Beach Books. This guide is a near-comprehensive overview of the murky world of college common reading programs. We not only provide a detailed look at what students are reading, but we provide recommendations for better books for colleges to consider.
The New York Times and the 1619 Project should not dictate what our students learn. And if the National Association of Scholars has anything to say about it, they won’t.
Join us for the launch of our newest edition of Beach Books on September 26th at 6 pm. The event will be held in collaboration with First Things Magazine at 9 E. 40th St, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016.
I hope you will join us there. If you can make it, would you let me know? You can RSVP online here.
We also have several sponsorship options available. With a gift of $100, we will list you as a “Silver Sponsor” in the evening’s program. With a gift of $500, we will list you as a “Gold Sponsor” in the evening’s program and in all publicity materials for the event. With a gift of $1,000 or more, we will honor you as a “Presidential Scholar” in the evening’s program and all publicity materials for the event and invite you to a private dinner with our keynote speaker, NAS’s Chairman of the Board and classics scholar, Keith Whitaker, after the event.
I hope to see you on September 26th.
Yours,
Peter Wood
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