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The Lavin Agency Speakers Bureau

A speakers bureau that represents the best original thinkers,
writers, and doers for speaking engagements.

Nikole Hannah-Jones

There isn’t a beat you can cover in America—education, housing—where race is not a factor.

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of The 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

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Lavin Exclusive Speaker

Nikole Hannah-Jones is the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of the 1619 Project and a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine. Both the book version of The 1619 Project and the 1619 Project children’s book, Born on the Water, were instant #1 New York Times bestsellers. Her 1619 Project is now a six-part docuseries on Hulu.

“[A] groundbreaking compendium . . . This collection is an extraordinary update to an ongoing project of vital truth-telling.”

— Esquire review of The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story

Hannah-Jones has spent her career investigating racial inequality and injustice, and her reporting has earned her the MacArthur Fellowship, known as the “Genius Grant,” a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and the National Magazine Award three times.

She also serves as the Knight Chair of Race and Journalism at Howard University, where she founded the Center for Journalism & Democracy. Hannah-Jones is also the co-founder of the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, which seeks to increase the number of investigative reporters and editors of color, and in 2022 she opened the 1619 Freedom School, a free, afterschool literacy program in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. Hannah-Jones holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned her BA in History and African-American studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Testimonials

Nikole was awesome! Everyone really enjoyed her honesty and her ability to discuss a tough topic with ease. We had rave reviews about her and the event.

The United Way, Salt Lake City

Testimonials

It was truly a great event and Nikole was fantastic like I knew she would be. Our attendees left awakened and inspired and better educators because of it.

International Literacy Association

Lavin Exclusive Speakers

Angela Duckworth

Author of Grit, the #1 New York Times Bestseller | Pioneering Researcher on Grit, Perseverance, and the Science of Success

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Creator of The 1619 Project | Executive Producer of The 1619 Project Hulu Docuseries | MacArthur Genius

Greg Hoffman

Nike's Former Chief Marketing Officer | Author of Emotion by Design

George M. Johnson

New York Times Bestselling Author Of All Boys Aren’t Blue & We Are Not Broken | Emmy Nominee | LGBTQIA+ Activist

Nicholas Thompson

CEO of The Atlantic | Former Editor-in-Chief of WIRED

Speech Topics

Race

The 1619 ProjectA New Origin Story

In this moderated conversation, Nikole Hannah-Jones engages in a powerful discussion of history, race, and democracy that speaks directly to our current moment. Drawing on ideas from The 1619 Project, she reframes our understanding of American history, highlights the contributions of Black Americans, and illuminates key moments of struggle and resistance. Hannah-Jones explores the legacy of slavery in our cultural, political, and legal institutions, and the way it continues to shape contemporary American life. This is a profoundly revealing vision of our country’s past, present, and future.