5 chapters across the catalog
The 1619 Project's lecture series in Houston was sponsored by Shell Oil, a company often criticized by the same political circles for its environmental impact and role in natural disasters. The hosts highlight the "bad optics" of a racial justice project taking money from a major fossil fuel corporation.
An article from the World Socialist Web Site, read by "Dame Jennifer," details the "staggering hypocrisy" of Nikole Hannah-Jones taking money from Shell Oil. The piece outlines Shell's history of human rights abuses in Africa, contrasting it with the project's moral condemnation of historical American figures.
The hosts analyze how corporations like Shell and BP use philanthropic attachments to buy "public relations insurance." They question whether Nikole Hannah-Jones was unaware of Shell's history or if the financial incentive was simply too large to ignore.
During the 1619 Project event in Houston, moderator Melanie Lawson led the audience in an ovation for Shell Oil. The World Socialist Web Site describes this as typical of an "affluent petty bourgeois social stratum" that prioritizes personal profit over the human rights of Africans.
The hosts highlight the hypocrisy of activists who decry "rape culture" and "environmental racism" while accepting funding from a company like Shell, which has been accused of using rape as a weapon in Nigeria. They argue that such financial ties ruin the integrity of social justice projects.
