October 1, 2026
Nikole Hannah-Jones sacrificed her daughter to ideology.
And ten years later, her daughter Najya called her on it.
Here’s the story in a nutshell…
Hannah-Jones is the creator of the 1619 Project, a writer for The New York Times, and a Pulitzer Prize winner. She had the education, money, and options to do better. But she chose to send her daughter to an underperforming inner-city school in New York City.
Why?
Because she wanted to choose “the collective good” and not merely “our individual advantage.”
The world knew this because Hannah-Jones made six-year-old Najya a cover story in The New York Times Magazine.
Now Najya is 16.
Ms. Hannah-Jones is the author of a new piece in The New York Times Magazine titled, “In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?”
In a word, she did. For, you see…
Najya figured out that she was being shortchanged, first by her school, and then by her parents. And…
She called mom on it.
A smart, eager-to-learn child came up academically short. And trust me, we are only scratching the surface of what happened and how it went down.
When I became aware of this story, I had to comment, because years ago, I confronted a phony “common good” and “for the children” message from a Black Democrat politician at a local town hall.
His response to me, amazed me. It’ll amaze you, too.
I tell that story as we analyze Hannah-Jones’ long feature article.
OR…
Because this show is Gracearchy with Jim Babka, our analysis will be different from everywhere else.
Two steelman things can be said about Nikole Hannah-Jones in this NY Times piece…
- She really is true to her beliefs
- She is amazingly open in her confessions.
Speaking of her confessions, we also care about the question, “Did this mother redeem herself? Is she intellectually or spiritually changed?”
Here’s a hint: Hannah-Jones loathes the school choice her daughter ultimately utilized, and she concludes the article with a call-to-action, for all of us, to make our federal government do more for desegregation in major cities like New York.
To be clear, I think Hannah-Jones has some points that are spot on and deserving of consideration. That’s why I, a former homeschool parent…
- Explain how school choice initiatives fail the people they are designed to help
- Expose the problem of the “Free Thing plus Forced Care”
We also graciously offer three better mentors for Nikole Hannah-Jones to consider…
One pointed to child-readiness. One modeled unschooling. One taught deschooling.
Together, they point to a real solution for children trapped in schools, bad and not so bad.
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ZAP The State and have a nice day,
Jim Babka
Host, Gracearchy with Jim Babka
Co-creator, Zero Aggression Project
P.S. I’ll be at The Christians for Liberty 2026 conference in the greater Cincinnati area on October 17! That morning, I’ll be interviewed, on stage. The topic? “Libertarianism as Spiritual Warfare.”
Spike Cohen, Doug Bandow, and many other Libertarian Christian Institute personalities will also be there.
Passes and more information are available at https://libertarianchristians.com/conference/
A catered lunch is included. Admission is bargain-priced. Enter the code CFLC26BABKA at checkout to get $5 off your pass.
I want to meet you there!
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Jim Babka is the co-creator of the Zero Aggression Project. However, the views expressed in the show do not necessarily reflect those of the board, staff, or supporters of the Zero Aggression Project (Downsize DC Foundation).