Faraji Hannah-Jones used a July 29 school board meeting to promote North Star Books and Bar, prompting calls for probes over possible ethics violations.
Faraji Hannah-Jones is facing ethics scrutiny after using a New York City school board meeting to promote North Star Books and Bar, the Brooklyn bookstore and bar he is opening with his wife, New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones. The school board meeting pitch has drawn complaints from city officials and renewed attention on the conduct expected from public appointees.
Hannah-Jones, who serves as chair of the Panel for Education Policy Contracts Committee, used his speaking time at the July 29 meeting at the High School for Fashion Industries in Chelsea to talk up the business. He told the group that he and his wife are building “an institution” in Bedford-Stuyvesant called North Star Books and Bar. He said it would be a “huge bookstore” and would sell “all the books that are banned,” while his fellow panel members listened.
North Star Books and Bar is scheduled to open in 2026 on Macon Street and takes its name from the abolitionist newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass. The website for the project says the bar’s liquor license is pending and that it will offer “black-owned spirits.”
The incident has stirred criticism because of Hannah-Jones’ role on the Panel for Education Policy, a 24-member body that includes 13 mayoral appointees and helps set policy for city schools, approve contracts and handle school closures. City Councilman Phil Wong, a Democrat from Queens, said the self-promotion violated Chapter 68 of the City Charter, which bars public servants from using their positions for personal gain.
“Faraji Hannah-Jones used a July 29 school board meeting to promote North Star Books and Bar, prompting calls for probes over possible ethics violations.”
“Government meetings are for conducting the public’s business, not promoting your own business,” Wong said. He said he had sent letters last week to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, the Office of Special Investigations and the Special Commissioner of Investigation asking for three separate probes. In his letter, Wong wrote that using official speaking time and a public position to promote a private business “appears to violate” the rule against using public office for a direct or indirect private advantage.
The New York City Department of Education said the matter had been referred for investigation. A department spokesperson said public schools expect members of their governance bodies to meet the standards of public service and that city charter rules prohibit officials from using their positions to promote personal or financial interests.
Former City Councilman Bob Holden also called for Hannah-Jones to be removed from the panel, saying he had crossed a clear line by promoting his own business at a public meeting. The controversy arrives amid broader attention on the Hannah-Jones name, which has long been tied to debate over the 1619 Project and its role in school instruction.
Nikole Hannah-Jones has said America was “founded on racism” and wrote the 1619 Project, which argues the country’s true beginning was the arrival of the first African slave rather than the signing of the Declaration of Independence. States have moved to block the project from classrooms over what critics call serious historical errors. For New Yorkers, the episode is a reminder that public offices come with public duties, and the next step will be whether city investigators treat the bookstore promotion as an ethics violation.
Frequently asked questions
What did Faraji Hannah-Jones say at the meeting?
He told the Panel for Education Policy that he and Nikole Hannah-Jones are building North Star Books and Bar in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He described it as a huge bookstore that would sell banned books.
Why are city officials upset about it?
Critics say he used official speaking time and a public position to promote a private business. Councilman Phil Wong argued that could violate Chapter 68 of the City Charter.
What action has been taken so far?
Wong sent letters seeking probes from the Conflicts of Interest Board, the Office of Special Investigations and the Special Commissioner of Investigation. The Department of Education said the matter has been referred for investigation.
What is North Star Books and Bar?
It is a planned Brooklyn bookstore and bar expected to open in 2026 on Macon Street. Its website says the bar’s liquor license is pending and that it will sell black-owned spirits.
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