(NEW YORK)—On Thursday, March 26, PEN America & Liz’s Book Bar will bring together two leading voices to discuss authoritarianism and censorship by the Trump administration against schools and universities, scientific research centers, museums, foundations, the press, and businesses.
The conversation will feature Nikole Hannah-Jones, the journalist whose 1619 Project illuminates Black Americans as central to the progress of democracy in U.S. history, and the scholar and author Jason Stanley, who published Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future in September 2024, prior to Trump’s re-election. Written as a warning, it is now best read as a primer on how authoritarian movements attack history, education, and free speech in order to consolidate power. The paperback edition will be released on March 17.
The event will take place at 7 pm at St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church (157 Montague St., Brooklyn Heights). Buy tickets here. (Journalists who want to cover the conversation, please RSVP by contacting Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057).
The second Trump administration has produced executive orders calling for an education system devoted to a mythic vision of America’s past; rebranded January 6th insurrectionists as “peaceful patriotic protesters”; scrubbed government websites of historical facts and scientific data, and brought Black history under existential threat.
Hannah-Jones and Stanley will discuss how institutions are being targeted over DEI initiatives and for telling the truth about U.S. history, racial health disparities, LGBTQ+ perspectives, among other topics.
Stanley’s latest book examines how the authoritarian right is targeting education to undermine democracy. “White supremacy no longer needs to be hinted at or whispered – it is the official policy of the U.S. government. And yet just as fascism is taking over, teaching the history of resistance movements in the United States is under threat. I look forward to this urgent discussion with Nikole Hannah-Jones to engage with the New York community on the dangers Americans face and how to fight back,” said Stanley.
Hannah-Jones has argued that this authoritarian “Second Nadir” is dismantling 60 years of civil rights, targeting marginalized communities, and weaponizing the federal government against democratic norms. “This is no longer a threat to our progress as a nation,” said Hannah-Jones. “It is the reality of our lives and it is happening with frightening speed and intent. The goal is to restore white hegemony and erase Black history while striking at freedom of the press. The only question for us is what we will do to preserve these core rights.”
BIOS
Nikole Hannah-Jones is staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she covers civil rights and racial injustice, and also the Knight Chair of Race and Journalism at Howard University, Jason Stanley is the Bissell-Heyd Chair in American studies in the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, and author of numerous books including How Fascism Works and How Propaganda Works.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057