Pulitzer Center Update May 19, 2026
Nearly 300 Educators Sign Up for Series on Our Changing Democracy
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The Pulitzer Center is proud to partner with The New York Times Magazine on The 1619 Project to...
1619-inspired workshops come as U.S. prepares to celebrate 250th anniversary
Over 280 educators have registered to participate in Defining Democracy, a quarterly professional development series exploring how to best teach about American democracy throughout the United States' semiquincentennial year.
These educators are taking on the challenge set forth by the Pulitzer Center's U.S. Engagement and Outreach team to go beyond simply marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, by using The 1619 Project and other journalistic resources to better understand American democracy as it stands today.
The Defining Democracy series—which includes three learning workshops, 1619 Reading Circles, and reward stipends for educators who document sustained impact of their training within their school communities—comes at a critical time, when much of the civil rights legislation that has defined American democracy for over 60 years is being reshaped or removed.
These changes make immediate The 1619 Project’s calls to action around interrogating historical narratives about the United States and understanding the lasting legacies of slavery in our modern democracy. Educators and students are called on to engage with American democratic history not as a timeline of fixed points leading to inevitable progress, but as an ongoing and fluid project still grappling with both racism and disenfranchisement.
As the original education partner for The 1619 Project, which began as a New York Times Magazine special issue in 2019, the Pulitzer Center has supported hundreds of educators and thousands of students as they engaged in civic education with added layers of complexity. We are excited to continue this work throughout the year with more educators committed to meeting the challenge of this educational moment.
The first workshop, "Understanding American Democracy," was held on February 16. The series has two more workshops that will take place on June 1 and September 14. Interested educators can register for upcoming sessions and access materials from previous ones through the Defining Democracy Zoom Events Lobby.
Workshop 1: 'Understanding American Democracy'
During the “Understanding American Democracy” workshop, educators engaged with materials from The 1619 Project's original magazine publication, podcast, and children’s book, Born on the Water, as they interrogated common stories and myths about America’s Founding Fathers, foundational dates, and the shaping of national identity. Donnalie Jamnah, the Pulitzer Center's senior education program manager, paired exploration of the 1619 materials with showcases of various lesson plans and other instructional material available on the Pulitzer Center's 1619 website.
Several attendees reflected on actions they were inspired to take after the workshop. A school administrator in attendance wrote, “I am inspired to unpack some of what I learned from the session with the teachers in my department. I am particularly interested in demonstrating how the resources can be used and engaged with by all groups—not simply those of African descent.”
The series is a space for educators in all learning environments. A college journalism professor in attendance reflected on inspiration to “explore new resources I did know about and see if we can incorporate a stronger component on the role of the media in American Democracy.”
A homeschooling parent reported leaving “eager to share the information with other homeschooling families.”
For all attendees, the workshop provided an introduction to the complex questions introduced by The 1619 Project, which will support deeper engagement with the perspectives of Black contributors with the theme of democracy.
Upcoming: 'Reframing' and 'Defending American Democracy'
We encourage all educators in our audience to join us for the remaining Defining Democracy series events.
In the upcoming “Reframing American Democracy” workshop, educators will engage with 1619 Project materials that introduce the Black and Indigenous histories that are often erased when we teach about the shaping of the country and explore models from our 1619 Education Program alumni who have incorporated these resources into their classroom work. It will feature a dialogue and presentations from Jamnah and Pulitzer Center Program Coordinator Kendra Grissom, who has supported Pulitzer Center 1619 education programs for four years and brings her formal training as a historian to the conversation.
The “Defending American Democracy” workshop will bring 1619 Project contributors into the conversation and focus on the models educators working in and outside of schools have used to encourage civic engagement in their local communities. The workshop builds on the learning and information educators gather through earlier events in the series to further equip participants for action.
