Nikole Hannah-Jones granted tenure by UNC board following publicized battle
The NYT Magazine reporter authored the controversial Pulitzer Prize-winning '1619 Project'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's board of trustees voted in favor of granting New York Times Magazine reporter Nikole Hannah-Jones a tenured position following intense backlash and public pressure.
In a 9-4 vote, the board went in favor of Hannah-Jones, who had threatened to not accept the teaching position at UNC's Hussman School of Journalism and Media without tenure after she was first granted tenure when she was initially offered the role of its Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism.
‘1619 PROJECT’ FOUNDER LOSES TENURE OFFER AMID CRITICISM: REPORT
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hannah-Jones later took to Twitter and shared a picture of herself having a celebratory drink.
Videos surfaced on social media showing a group of pro-Hannah-Jones' demonstrators attempting to express their support for the reporter at the board meeting.
One of them alleged that four officers "forcefully removed us. "Pushing, shoving and slapping."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hannah-Jones reacted, "It should have been communicated how this meeting would go, that tenure proceedings are always held in closed session, and an attempt made to de-escalate. Instead Black students were shoved and punched because they were confused about the process. This is not right."
After it was announced that she was joining UNC, the university was slammed by critics over Hannah-Jones' controversial "1619 Project." UNC then pulled tenured from its offer, which she chose not to accept.
Last month, Susan King, dean of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, reportedly called the decision to revoke tenure "disappointing" and said she was afraid it would create a "chilling effect."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}King said Hannah-Jones "represents the best of our alumni and the best of the business."
Hannah-Jones rallied strong support among her peers in the media throughout the publicized battle.
However, the "1619 Project" has widely been criticized by historians over factual inaccuracies and Republican lawmakers have been outspoken with opposition in response to the Biden administration's efforts to incorporate the "1619 Project" in its education agenda.
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The "1619 Project" was a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times Magazine enterprise that examined the long-term consequences of slavery in America. It was released in 2019 to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in colonial Virginia in 1619. Historians have raised concerns about some of the claims, notably that slavery was a primary reason that American colonists sought independence from Great Britain.