Carver Events Kick Off USA 250 Celebrations at Simpson

Simpson College will present the George Washington Carver Medal Ceremony and Lecture featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29, in Smith Chapel. It will be the first of many Simpson events throughout 2026, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding in 1776. The public is invited to attend, free of charge.

Highly regarded for her work covering racial injustice for the New York Times, Hannah-Jones earned an Emmy Award in 2024 for “The 1619 Project”— a Hulu original docuseries examining the impacts of slavery in the United States. Related to that work, Hannah-Jones is founder of the 1619 Freedom School in her hometown of Waterloo, Iowa. She is also founder of the Center for Journalism & Democracy at Howard University, where she is the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism.

Before creating her award-winning Hulu docuseries, Hannah-Jones gained acclaim for authoring “The 1619 Project,” which debuted at #1 on The New York Times bestseller list. She is also the co-author of the children’s book, “Born on the Water,” which also debuted at #1 on the Times bestseller list.

“We are honored to present the George Washington Carver medal to Nikole Hannah-Jones for her profoundly important and illuminating work with racial injustice, civil rights, and racial equity,” said Allie Martinez ’23, director of Community & Belonging at Simpson. “Her work embodies the legacy of George Washington Carver and everything he accomplished throughout his life. This event provides an opportunity for our community to engage in a thought-provoking discussion about one of the troubling issues of our time. It’s the perfect way to kick-off our year-long programming focused on America at 250.”

As part of the event, Hannah-Jones and Martinez will join other key thought leaders in a panel discussion on racial justice concerns. The public is also invited to attend a special “Toast to George Washington Carver” from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 1, at West Hill Brewery in Indianola.

Throughout 2026, Simpson College will join in the celebrations and commemorations of America 250 through a series of major lectures, panel discussions, and student-led initiatives to bring American history to life during the semiquincentennial year. As a comprehensive liberal arts institution that has educated tens of thousands of young Americans since 1860, Simpson is committed to exploring all facets of the American experience and engaging our current students in dialogue about the achievements, challenges, and unfinished work of building a more perfect Union.