Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of The New York Times' 1619 Project, has argued that paying reparations for slavery would amount to an admission that the "entire existence of the United States" is a crime. Speaking in an interview with the left-leaning outlet The Meteor, she framed reparations not as compensation for isolated wrongdoing but as an acknowledgement of a foundational, nationwide offence — a claim that has drawn attention as the country approaches its 250th anniversary and as debates over reparations continue in Democratic-led states.

Hannah-Jones, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for the project, said America's history is so deeply bound up with slavery that removing statues or monuments would not be sufficient, noting that slavery predated the nation's founding by 150 years. The 1619 Project seeks to reframe US history by placing slavery and racism at the centre of the national narrative; praised by many on the left, it has also faced criticism from some prominent historians who dispute aspects of its factual accuracy, particularly its claims about the motivations behind the American Revolution.