New York Times columnist Bret Stephens has spoken out against the cancellation of a speaking appearance by his Times colleague Nikole Hannah-Jones at the Middlesex School in Concord. Stephens is an alumnus and a member of the board of trustees. Stephens told Christopher Galvin of Boston.com:
I had no knowledge that an invitation had been extended to Nikole. I had nothing to do with the decision not to bring her to the school. The first I heard about it was when someone sent me her tweet… I don’t believe in canceling speakers.
Stephens is a conservative who has written critically about the 1619 Project, a reimagining of the role of slavery in American history that Hannah-Jones oversaw and for which she won a Pulitzer Prize.
Good for him for standing on principle.
Become a member of Media Nation for just $5 a month!
Discover more from Media Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Frankly, I’m stunned to find any evidence that Stephens has principles.
I’m not. But what Stephens said does strike me as the absolute minimum. I hope he’ll keep pondering and say more later.
Dan, I don’t know if “reimagining” is a good word to use when discussing history.
John, I would agree with you if history were simply a matter of objective fact not open to interpretation. History is a field where we literally don’t know the half of it.