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.
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Lex
Frankly, I’m stunned to find any evidence that Stephens has principles.
Dan Kennedy
I’m not. But what Stephens said does strike me as the absolute minimum. I hope he’ll keep pondering and say more later.
jpmellojr
Dan, I don’t know if “reimagining” is a good word to use when discussing history.
Dan Kennedy
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.