PHOTOS: Pulitzer Prize–winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones delivers campus keynote

What’s included in what we call history isn’t the whole story. For centuries, entire groups have been left out of that history, Nikole Hannah-Jones told an audience of faculty, staff, students and community members at St. Cajetan’s on the Auraria Campus.

For more than an hour, Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story,” and the 2026 Metropolitan State University of Denver Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Visiting Professor, took questions from audience members and Michael Benitez, Ph.D., vice president for Diversity and Inclusion and associate professor of Multicultural Education.

History matters, Hannah-Jones said. “People who don’t know their history cannot be a people.”

Woman speaks while a man watches on a stage with MSU Denver branding and colors.

The annual Rachel B. Noel campus event featured a fireside chat moderated by Michael Benitez, Ph.D., with award-winning investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, and was introduced by Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamara Banks on March 19, 2026, at St. Cajetan’s. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Woman speaks at a podium during an event with MSU Denver Office of Diversity and Inclusion signage behind her.

Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamara Banks makes introductions at the annual Rachel B. Noel campus event on March 19, 2026, at St. Cajetan’s. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Two speakers sit on stage in conversation during an MSU Denver event, with red and blue balloons in the background.

The annual Rachel B. Noel campus event featured a fireside chat moderated by Michael Benitez, Ph.D., with award-winning investigative journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on March 19, 2026, at St. Cajetan’s. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Audience member speaks into a microphone during an MSU Denver event while others listen in a crowded room.

Speaker stands at a podium addressing an audience during the Rachel B. Noel community event.

The annual Rachel B. Noel community event and awards on March 17, 2026. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Audience members stand and applaud during the Rachel B. Noel community event.

The annual Rachel B. Noel community event and awards on March 17, 2026. Photo by Alyson McClaran

Woman signs a book at a table during an event while two people stand nearby, with an MSU Denver banner in the background.

Attendees smile and greet one another warmly during the Rachel B. Noel community event at MSU Denver.

The annual Rachel B. Noel community event and awards on March 17, 2026. Photo by Alyson McClaran

First published in The New York Times, “The 1619 Project” examines the lasting impact of slavery on the U.S. economy, health care system, segregated neighborhoods and schools, and even popular culture. The title recalls the year the first ship carrying enslaved African people arrived in what would become the United States.

Hannah-Jones said the project had roots in a high school Black studies class, where she discovered that “we weren’t learning about Black culture.” That’s because the people who determine what is presented to students and to the wider world “decided it was not important enough to learn about.”

“The 1619 Project” sparked controversy, with some calling it “racially divisive” and alleging the work is unpatriotic and denies the country’s true principles.

Hannah-Jones called personal attacks sparked by the controversy some of the “darkest days of my career.” What saved her, she said, was a friend convincing her that “’the fact that they have put this much effort into discrediting you means you have won.”

As part of the Noel professorship, Hannah-Jones also spoke at Denver’s Shorter Community AME Church, where MSU Denver students Asheley Clarkin, Firaol Sado and Cherifa Traore were awarded scholarships. Community leader John T. Bailey, whose work includes promoting economic growth and providing opportunities to youth, and Rosemarie Allen, Ph.D., a professor in the MSU Denver School of Education, received the Hope for the Future Award, which recognizes leaders whose work strengthens communities and expands opportunities.

Rachel B. Noel founded MSU Denver’s Department of Africana Studies in 1971; the professorship was established in 1981 to honor and continue her commitment to diversity and education.

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