
“This is my alma mater.” “I love the university” … it was embarrassing to be the first person to be denied tenure. It was embarrassing, and I didn’t want this to become a public scandal…It’s pretty clear that my tenure was not taken up because of political opposition, because of discriminatory views against my viewpoint and, I believe, [because of] my race and my gender.”
- Nikole Hannah-Jones
Nikole Hannah-Jones threw a fierce curveball on CBS This Morning https://youtu.be/RRRs6iEyBHY on July 6th when she revealed to Gayle King that she was declining the belated offer of tenure from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Hussman School of Journalism and Media knight Chair in race and investigative journalism and will be joining Howard University as its inaugural Knight chair in race and reporting. Notably, Ta-Nehisi Coates will also be joining Howard University as the Sterling Brown Chair in English. Talk about a dynamic duo of talent and brain power!
Hannah-Jones’ announcement came as a shock and surprise to many people. The disappointment among many UNC Journalism faculty was apparent in the letter https://link.medium.com/Si4zPAJEFhb than more than two dozen of them signed. Moreover, they did not hesitate to label her treatment as nothing short of racist.
On June 30, after several weeks of intense, unrelenting drama, Nikole Hannah-Jones was granted tenure by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Trustees. The official vote was 9–4 in her favor. For those of us who were following the story intently, the ratification and decision to award Hannah-Jones tenure marked the end of a saga that should never have occurred. Rather, it was an unnecessary dilemma that could have been avoided.
For those who are unaware of the situation that occurred, Nikole Hannah-Jones is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning 1619 Project. Until recently, she was a journalist at the New York Times. On May 19, the board of trustees decided against granting the esteemed journalist tenure and offered her a 5-year renewable contract instead. The official reason the board gave for its decision was that Hannah-Jones was not a “traditional academic.”
The fact of the matter is, such reasoning made little, if any sense. Hannah-Jones had been appointed as a Knight Chair: a position designed to attract professional journalists rather than academic scholars. Furthermore, every previous Knight Chair had been granted tenure upon their appointment. Hannah-Jones possessed more than enough credentials.
In addition to holding a master’s degree from The University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Hannah-Jones has received numerous distinguished awards during her journalistic career that has spanned nearly two decades — The Pulitzer Prize, the Mac Arthur Foundation Fellowship (better known as the genius grant), a magazine award, and a George Polk Award.
Earlier this year, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Very impressive indeed! Thus, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the “not a traditional academic” argument was nonsense. The fact that Hannah-Jones was the architect of The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project was the primary factor that garnered her ire from many in the conservative movement.
It seems that the initial debate over Hannah-Jones’ supposedly questionable credentials was an attempted deflection — and a poor one at that — to disguise the real concern among her detractors. In fact, one board member, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, admitted that the board had come under serious political pressure from powerful individuals who viewed her as problematic due to her work on racial inequity and racism in America. This is hardly surprising..
Walter Hussman Jr., a conservative donor who’s name adorns the UNC school of journalism, and one of the most vociferous opponents to Hannah-Jones’ appointment, stated his opinion in an email to the school’s dean in December that was leaked to North Carolina media outlets: Hussman stated: “My hope and vision was that the journalism school would be the champion of objective, impartial reporting and separating news and opinion, and that would add so much to its reputation and would benefit both the school and the University.”
Interestingly, Hussman’s email also contained his sentiments that he believed the 1619 Project, which sought to re-center American history around the institution of slavery, did not grant enough credit to white abolitionists and others who fought for liberation. Therein lies the major issue with the majority of 1619 critics: that the project obscures white greatness. Really? Please! For someone who is supposedly concerned about the concept of impartiality, Hussman’s comments are notably bereft of any semblance of objectivity. On the contrary, they betray a racially disturbing truth all too well known to many people of color.
The troubling and disturbing message emanating from this event, and an ongoing reminder from powerful political quarters, is that you must not dare to offend White racial sensibilities. You must know your place and not step outside your lane. Otherwise, there will be consequences. Period.
For numerous academics of color, the saga experienced by Nikole Hannah-Jones hits far too close to home. Many of us have endured less than hospitable environments. We have endured feelings of isolation, encountered outright hostility, and in some cases, endured the humiliation of having our academic credentials questioned. Some of us have had our own battles in the tenure and promotion process. The level of denigration, degradation, and dehumanization is REAL! They are not microaggressions. They are MACROAGRESSIONS!
There is no doubt such racial impositions and indignities occur in other professions as well. There are countless stories of attorneys, government workers, business people, blue-collar, and other non-white workers reciting reports of mental, psychological, and emotional abuse. In some respects, it is like a sharp stab to the heart. In other subtle ways, it is like death by a thousand cuts.
Admittedly, I must be honest, I always thought that the continual drumbeat of protest and pressure would be enough to force the UNC Board of Regents to grant Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure. That was the standard precedent for such an appointed position, and she deserved it. The victory was probably bittersweet for her. I know it would have been for me. Nonetheless, justice was served — albeit belatedly. However, it was too little, too late. to bring Nikole Hannah-Jones to the University of North Carolina. Thus, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s loss is Howard University’s gain.
Elwood Watson, Ph.D., is a Historian, public speaker, and cultural critic. He is a professor of history, Black Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of the recent book Keepin’ It Real: Essays on Race in Contemporary America (University of Chicago Press), available in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon and other major book retailers.
- Nikole Hannah-Jones
Nikole Hannah-Jones threw a fierce curveball on CBS This Morning https://youtu.be/RRRs6iEyBHY on July 6th when she revealed to Gayle King that she was declining the belated offer of tenure from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Hussman School of Journalism and Media knight Chair in race and investigative journalism and will be joining Howard University as its inaugural Knight chair in race and reporting. Notably, Ta-Nehisi Coates will also be joining Howard University as the Sterling Brown Chair in English. Talk about a dynamic duo of talent and brain power!
Hannah-Jones’ announcement came as a shock and surprise to many people. The disappointment among many UNC Journalism faculty was apparent in the letter https://link.medium.com/Si4zPAJEFhb than more than two dozen of them signed. Moreover, they did not hesitate to label her treatment as nothing short of racist.
On June 30, after several weeks of intense, unrelenting drama, Nikole Hannah-Jones was granted tenure by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Board of Trustees. The official vote was 9–4 in her favor. For those of us who were following the story intently, the ratification and decision to award Hannah-Jones tenure marked the end of a saga that should never have occurred. Rather, it was an unnecessary dilemma that could have been avoided.
For those who are unaware of the situation that occurred, Nikole Hannah-Jones is the author of the Pulitzer Prize winning 1619 Project. Until recently, she was a journalist at the New York Times. On May 19, the board of trustees decided against granting the esteemed journalist tenure and offered her a 5-year renewable contract instead. The official reason the board gave for its decision was that Hannah-Jones was not a “traditional academic.”
The fact of the matter is, such reasoning made little, if any sense. Hannah-Jones had been appointed as a Knight Chair: a position designed to attract professional journalists rather than academic scholars. Furthermore, every previous Knight Chair had been granted tenure upon their appointment. Hannah-Jones possessed more than enough credentials.
In addition to holding a master’s degree from The University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media, Hannah-Jones has received numerous distinguished awards during her journalistic career that has spanned nearly two decades — The Pulitzer Prize, the Mac Arthur Foundation Fellowship (better known as the genius grant), a magazine award, and a George Polk Award.
Earlier this year, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Very impressive indeed! Thus, it does not take a rocket scientist to realize that the “not a traditional academic” argument was nonsense. The fact that Hannah-Jones was the architect of The New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project was the primary factor that garnered her ire from many in the conservative movement.
It seems that the initial debate over Hannah-Jones’ supposedly questionable credentials was an attempted deflection — and a poor one at that — to disguise the real concern among her detractors. In fact, one board member, who agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity, admitted that the board had come under serious political pressure from powerful individuals who viewed her as problematic due to her work on racial inequity and racism in America. This is hardly surprising..
Walter Hussman Jr., a conservative donor who’s name adorns the UNC school of journalism, and one of the most vociferous opponents to Hannah-Jones’ appointment, stated his opinion in an email to the school’s dean in December that was leaked to North Carolina media outlets: Hussman stated: “My hope and vision was that the journalism school would be the champion of objective, impartial reporting and separating news and opinion, and that would add so much to its reputation and would benefit both the school and the University.”
Interestingly, Hussman’s email also contained his sentiments that he believed the 1619 Project, which sought to re-center American history around the institution of slavery, did not grant enough credit to white abolitionists and others who fought for liberation. Therein lies the major issue with the majority of 1619 critics: that the project obscures white greatness. Really? Please! For someone who is supposedly concerned about the concept of impartiality, Hussman’s comments are notably bereft of any semblance of objectivity. On the contrary, they betray a racially disturbing truth all too well known to many people of color.
The troubling and disturbing message emanating from this event, and an ongoing reminder from powerful political quarters, is that you must not dare to offend White racial sensibilities. You must know your place and not step outside your lane. Otherwise, there will be consequences. Period.
For numerous academics of color, the saga experienced by Nikole Hannah-Jones hits far too close to home. Many of us have endured less than hospitable environments. We have endured feelings of isolation, encountered outright hostility, and in some cases, endured the humiliation of having our academic credentials questioned. Some of us have had our own battles in the tenure and promotion process. The level of denigration, degradation, and dehumanization is REAL! They are not microaggressions. They are MACROAGRESSIONS!
There is no doubt such racial impositions and indignities occur in other professions as well. There are countless stories of attorneys, government workers, business people, blue-collar, and other non-white workers reciting reports of mental, psychological, and emotional abuse. In some respects, it is like a sharp stab to the heart. In other subtle ways, it is like death by a thousand cuts.
Admittedly, I must be honest, I always thought that the continual drumbeat of protest and pressure would be enough to force the UNC Board of Regents to grant Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure. That was the standard precedent for such an appointed position, and she deserved it. The victory was probably bittersweet for her. I know it would have been for me. Nonetheless, justice was served — albeit belatedly. However, it was too little, too late. to bring Nikole Hannah-Jones to the University of North Carolina. Thus, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s loss is Howard University’s gain.
Elwood Watson, Ph.D., is a Historian, public speaker, and cultural critic. He is a professor of history, Black Studies and Gender and Sexuality Studies at East Tennessee State University. He is the author of the recent book Keepin’ It Real: Essays on Race in Contemporary America (University of Chicago Press), available in paperback and on Kindle via Amazon and other major book retailers.