National Association of Black Journalists Condemns UNC Decision to Deny Nikole Hannah-Jones Tenure

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The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has released a statement condemning UNC-Chapel Hill’s decision to deny Project 1619 founder Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure following conservative pushback.

“The NABJ family has always been proud of her work and impact across the industry and we have been hopeful about the positive influence she will have at the university in producing the next generation of students, as she is a celebrated and respected Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist,” the statement said of Hannah-Jones.

NABJ President Dorothy Tucker additionally said that the association has reached out to the university to determine why Hannah-Jones was denied tenure, despite being named the UNC Hussman School of Media and Journalism Knight Chair, a historically tenured position.

“If the speculations are true, then we denounce any decision to deny a distinguished journalist tenure because she simply did her job by reporting facts about slavery in America,” she wrote.

“The university would be sending a message to its students that it does not support press freedom and that seeking the truth and reporting it is not a pillar it believes should be a part of our profession, and that the work of Black journalists, or any journalist, to expose the ills of slavery and its impact on America is unmerited.”

The statement noted that Hannah-Jones lack of tenure is “highly unusual,” as she was recommended by the university’s journalism department and is an alumna of the school.

NABJ Academic Representative Jarrad Henderson also strongly denounced the decision, pointing to the history of discrimination against Black women in academia, noting that they “are often denied promotion despite exceptional work.”

“It also further discourages all journalists of color who are hoping to transition into the academy for the benefit of the institutions we believe in,” Henderson added.

The statement concluded by vowing to hold the university accountable if “issues of race or attempts to muffle the freedom of the press are at the core of this decision.”

Despite her Pulitzer Prize award, news that Hannah-Jones would likely be granted tenure was quickly met with conservative criticism due to her role in The 1619 Project. 

Initially launched in August 2019, The 1619 Project details the legacy of slavery in the United States and works to reframe the nation’s history, highlighting the year of arrival of the first enslaved Africans to Virginia.

The project was immediately met with controversy, as it claimed the United States was founded “as a slavocracy.” The New York Times has since issued an update, clarifying that not all colonists fought the American Revolution to defend slavery.

“We recognize that our original language could be read to suggest that protecting slavery was a primary motivation for all of the colonists,” wrote the Times’ Jake Silverstein in March 2020. “The passage has been changed to make clear that this was a primary motivation for some of the colonists. A note has been appended to the story as well.”