This men’s cotton T-shirt was inspired by The 1619 Project, an acclaimed initiative from The New York Times Magazine that aims to reframe the nation’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of our national narrative.
takes its name from the moment in August 1619 when a ship appeared off Point Comfort, a coastal port in the English colony of Virginia, carrying more than 20 enslaved people from the African nations of Ndongo and Kongo. These people were sold to the colonists, marking the beginning of the system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began.
The 1619 Project was introduced in August 2019, with a special issue of the magazine featuring an ambitious collection of journalism and historical inquiry that examined the many aspects of contemporary American society that can be traced back to slavery. It was spearheaded by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Times journalist, with contributions from Black authors, essayists, poets, playwrights, scholars and novelists. Nikole was honored for her work on the project with the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.
The shirt is made in America of 100% recycled cotton by Los Angeles-based Everybody.World, the maker of thoughtful, eco-friendly goods and a champion of garment workers' rights. It is printed by Philadelphia Printworks, a social justice heritage brand and screen-printing workshop.
The shirt has a unisex cut that errs on the side of easy when it comes to fit. The fabric is 100% recycled cotton. The heavyweight jersey is made from American-grown cotton industry byproduct that would otherwise be thrown away, and is thicker than most tees out there. It is vintage soft with a slightly textured hand feel, preshrunk and ready to wear.
