2019

The stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as 'Cancer Alley,' is home to over 150 industrial plants and refineries concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes here have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019–2021, community groups including Concerned Citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities. The Sierra Club and Union of Concerned Scientists documented systematic siting of industrial facilities in Black communities throughout the region.

The FBI reported in 2019 that hate crimes reached a 16-year high, with white supremacist violence being the dominant domestic terrorism threat. Between 2018 and 2022, white supremacist and far-right extremists committed more than 70% of all domestic terrorism fatalities. The DHS and FBI both documented the growth of online radicalization networks spreading 'Great Replacement' theory and accelerationist ideology. Attacks included the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre (2018, 11 killed), El Paso Walmart massacre targeting Latinos (2019, 23 killed), and the Buffalo supermarket massacre targeting Black shoppers (2022, 10 killed). Critics noted federal resources remained disproportionately focused on foreign terrorism.

The stretch of Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans contains over 150 industrial plants concentrated in predominantly Black communities. EPA data shows some zip codes have cancer risk 50 times the national average. In 2019-2021, community groups fought Formosa Plastics' plan to build a $9.4 billion plastics complex. A federal judge halted permits in 2022, citing failure to consider racial disparities.

The FBI reported in 2019 that hate crimes reached a 16-year high, with white supremacist violence being the dominant domestic terrorism threat. Between 2018 and 2022, white supremacist and far-right extremists committed more than 70% of all domestic terrorism fatalities. Attacks included the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre (2018), El Paso Walmart massacre targeting Latinos (2019, 23 killed), and the Buffalo supermarket massacre targeting Black shoppers (2022).

The New York Times Magazine published The 1619 Project, conceived by Nikole Hannah-Jones, on August 14, 2019. The project reframed American history by placing slavery and Black Americans at the center of the national narrative. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020. Republican politicians launched sustained attacks; multiple states introduced legislation to ban its teaching. Hannah-Jones was denied tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill in a politically motivated decision before accepting a chair at Howard University.

The New York Times Magazine published The 1619 Project, conceived and led by journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, on August 14, 2019, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in English North America. The project reframed American history by placing slavery and Black Americans' contributions at the center of the national narrative. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020. Republican politicians and some historians launched sustained attacks; Tom Cotton called slavery a 'necessary evil'; multiple states introduced legislation to ban its teaching. Hannah-Jones was denied tenure at UNC-Chapel Hill in a politically motivated decision before the faculty overruled trustees.

Federal Reserve data published in September 2019 showed that in 2016, white families had a median net worth of $171,000 versus $17,150 for Black families — a 10:1 ratio. The gap had not meaningfully narrowed since the late 1960s. White families received 84% of all inheritances in the U.S.; Black families received 3%. The wealth gap compounded through homeownership: median home equity for white families was $215,800 versus $94,400 for Black families. The McKinsey Global Institute estimated the racial wealth gap costs the U.S. economy $1–1.5 trillion annually. Researchers traced the gap to slavery, Jim Crow, redlining, and the GI Bill's exclusionary implementation.

Federal Reserve data showed white families had a median net worth of $171,000 versus $17,150 for Black families — a 10:1 ratio. The gap had not meaningfully narrowed since the late 1960s. White families received 84% of all inheritances in the U.S.; Black families received 3%. The McKinsey Global Institute estimated the racial wealth gap costs the U.S. economy $1-$1.5 trillion annually.

Bryan Stevenson's Equal Justice Initiative has secured exonerations or relief for over 140 wrongly condemned death row prisoners by 2020, the majority of whom are Black. Stevenson's 2014 memoir Just Mercy, detailing the case of Walter McMillian — a Black man wrongfully convicted in Alabama — became a best-seller and was adapted into a 2019 film. EJI's work highlighted systemic failures: prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate counsel, racial bias in jury selection, and false testimony. McMillian had been placed on death row before his trial even began.

Elijah McClain, 23, a massage therapist and amateur violinist who was neurodivergent, was stopped by Aurora, CO police on August 24, 2019, while walking home wearing headphones. Officers put him in a caretaker hold and called paramedics, who injected him with ketamine — a large dose based on an inaccurate weight estimate. McClain went into cardiac arrest and died August 30. Initial investigation cleared officers. Following the 2020 protests, Colorado Governor Polis ordered a new investigation. In 2021, two officers and two paramedics were charged with manslaughter and assault. One officer was convicted of criminally negligent homicide in 2023. Aurora settled for $15 million.

Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was shot and killed through her bedroom window by Fort Worth officer Aaron Dean during a welfare check on October 12, 2019. A neighbor had called a non-emergency line because Jefferson's door was open late at night. Body camera footage showed Dean sneaking around the side of the house and shouting 'put your hands up' before immediately firing through the window. Jefferson was playing video games with her nephew. Dean resigned and was charged with murder; trial proceedings faced multiple delays. The case highlighted dangers of police wellness checks in Black communities.