An ethics complaint has been filed against Faraji Hannah-Jones, husband of New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones, for allegedly using a public education meeting to promote his upcoming bookstore and bar. The complaint was submitted to the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board by the watchdog group NYC Common Sense on August 6.

Faraji Hannah-Jones, a member of the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) and chairman of its contracts committee, is accused of violating city ethics laws by plugging North Star Books and Bar during a PEP hearing on July 29. According to the complaint, he used his speaking time to advertise the bookstore, which he and his wife are planning to open in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

"My wife and I are building an institution in Brooklyn, in Bed-Stuy, called North Star Books and Bar," Hannah-Jones stated during the meeting, as noted in the complaint. He described the planned establishment as a "huge bookstore" that would sell "all the books that are banned" and a bar that would serve "black-owned spirits."

NYC Common Sense argues that Hannah-Jones’s actions contravene Chapter 68 of the New York City Charter, which prohibits public servants from using their position to obtain financial gain for themselves or associated individuals or firms. The group requested a review to determine if his conduct violated city ethics laws.

The Conflicts of Interest Board stated it cannot disclose whether it has received a complaint or what actions it may take.

Yiatin Chu, president of Asian Wave Alliance and co-founder of PLACE NYC, also criticized Hannah-Jones’s remarks. "I can’t believe I just heard a member on NYC’s Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) plug he and his wife’s retail business. Totally inappropriate to use NYC’s school board to promote his private for-profit store," she tweeted following the hearing.

North Star Books and Bar is named after the abolitionist newspaper founded by Frederick Douglass and is slated to open in 2026 on Macon Street. Work permits for the location indicate renovation for an eating and drinking establishment are in progress.

Nikole Hannah-Jones, author of The New York Times's "1619 Project," has previously faced controversy for her work, which has been criticized by some states for alleged historical inaccuracies and by some for its portrayal of American history. Faraji Hannah-Jones declined to comment on the ethics complaint.