NEW YORK (AP) — Authors Matthew Desmond, Michelle Alexander and Leslie Alexander will be among the participants in a series of readalongs from the book edition of “The 1619 Project,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning report from the New York Times that has been widely acclaimed, debated and censored.

“The 1619 Project Read Along: A Classroom Without Walls” will be a mix of in-person and/or virtual gatherings, beginning Tuesday night with an event at the Greene Space in downtown Manhattan and continuing this fall and early next year. The readings and ensuing discussions will focus on six chapters — Democracy, Capitalism, Fear, Race, Justice, and Music — from the book, a sweeping examination into the legacy of slavery and racism in U.S. history.

Desmond and the two Alexanders (they are sisters) are contributors to the 1619 project, whose creator, Nikole Hannah-Jones, will participate in events about Democracy, Justice and Music.

The six featured chapters can be read for free on 1619books.com

“The goal is to give people the time, resources, and community to deepen their understanding of the book, particularly in places where they might not have access to it, for financial or legislative reasons,” according to a statement issued Tuesday by the book’s publisher, One World, a Penguin Random House imprint.

“The 1619 Project” was first published in the New York Times Magazine in 2019 and expanded into a book two years later. The bound edition is a bestseller but the material has been subjected to numerous bans and attempted bans, including a Florida rule that forbids the project to be used in the state’s classrooms.

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