The 1619 Project takes its name from the moment in August 1619 when a ship appeared off Point Comfort, a coastal port in the English colony of Virginia, carrying more than 20 enslaved people from the African nations of Ndongo and Kongo. These people were sold to the colonists, marking the beginning of the system of chattel slavery that would last for the next 250 years. America was not yet America, but this was the moment it began.

The 1619 Project was introduced in August 2019, with a special issue of the magazine featuring an ambitious collection of journalism and historical inquiry that examined the many aspects of contemporary American society that can be traced back to slavery. It was spearheaded by Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Times journalist, with contributions from Black authors, essayists, poets, playwrights, scholars and novelists. Nikole was honored for her work on the project with the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for commentary.

This tote was designed at The Times with the help of editors and designers who initiated the 1619 Project. While your purchase is not tax deductible, The Times will donate 50% of the sale price of each tote to the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States to preserve historic sites and stories of Black history. To learn more, visit www.savingplaces.org.

The tote is made in America by Everybody.World, the Los Angeles-based maker of thoughtful, eco-friendly goods and a champion of garment workers' rights. It is printed by Philadelphia Printworks, a social justice heritage brand and screen-printing workshop.

Made of 100% bull denim cotton, the tote provides plenty of space for your daily newspaper, laptop, books and most anything else you pick up while you're out and about. It has thick, flat 2” woven straps that are comfortable to carry or sling over your shoulder.

The black tote displays "The 1619 Project" in white lettering on one side and The Times name divided on three lines on the other.