Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Nikole Hanna-Jones revealed to CBS This Morning that she turned down a tenured faculty post at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and instead accepted a tenured job at Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C. This is the end of an embarrassing and troubling UNC episode. Hannah-Jones had been offered the UNC journalism school position without tenure, despite the fact that tenure is a standard for Knight Chairs in Race and Investigative Journalism appointees. Hannah-Jones was recommended by the faculty for tenure. Each of the previous white appointees received tenure. However, the UNC board of trustees did not offer Hannah-Jones tenure-protected status. Last week, UNC offered Hannah-Jones tenure in addition to the five-year job, despite student protests. Hannah-Jones, however, declined Tuesday's offer, stating that despite all the resistance, it was not what she wanted anymore.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJUST IN: @CBSThisMorning awards-winning journalist @nhannahjones announces that she declined University of North Carolina's offer of tenure and will take over the Knight Chair in Race and Reporting @HowardU. pic.twitter.com/w9j0gVe0cd CBS This Morning, @CBSThisMorning July 6, 2021Hannah-Jones graduated from UNC's journalism school and received her master's degree there. She is also a MacArthur fellow, which grants the so-called genius grant, and was the founder of the New York Times 1619 Project, which examines the long-lasting effects of slavery. The 1619 Project, out of all Hannah-Joness's writings and other work on race and writings, is the most controversial because it depicts the history of slavery and its insidious and persistent influence on America. The North Carolina Republican-led State Legislature appointed the board of trustees. They initially withheld tenure because there were still questions about Hannah-Jones' candidacy. The immediate reaction was negative: It was criticized as a racist and unjust restriction on academic freedom for a prominent American voice on journalism and race. Although the board ultimately voted 9-4 to grant Hannah-Jones tenure it was already too late.AdvertisementSubscribe to the Slatest Newsletter Get a daily email update with the latest stories. Signing you up was not possible due to an error Please try again. To use this form, please enable jаvascript. Email address: I would like to receive updates on Slate special offers. You agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms by signing up. Thank you for signing up! You can cancel your subscription at any time.Hannah-Jones stated that she will take up the newly created position at Howard, as the Knight Chair for Race and Journalism. She will also create a Center for Journalism and Democracy. She stated that she will use these positions to encourage and train Black students to accurately and urgently cover the challenges of democracy with a clarity and skepticism that is rare in today's journalism. Howard received nearly $20 million in grants from the Knight Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The Ford Foundation and an anonymous donor also supported the new positions.
