Nikole Hannah-Jones supporters cheer UNC vote to give tenure, but what’s her response?
The nation’s eyes looked to Chapel Hill Wednesday, as UNC-Chapel Hill’s Board of Trustees voted in a 9-4 vote to grant tenure to journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
Hannah-Jones had planned to join UNC’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media Thursday on a five-year contract as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism. But the school faced sharp criticism for not granting tenure to the Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur grant-winner who had created The New York Times’ 1619 project.
She and her lawyers had said she wouldn’t begin the job without tenure, as previous Knight chairs at UNC-CH have received.
In a statement following the vote, Hannah-Jones expressed thanks for the all the support she has received, but said she needs “to take some time to process all that has occurred and determine what is the best way forward.”
Meanwhile, protests have swirled on and off campus, and supporters and critics weighed in on social media as the trustees met Wednesday.
Hannah-Jones herself tweeted just after midnight Wednesday, “Let the chips fall where they may.”
Here’s how the day unfurled, leading up to a late afternoon vote in favor of granting Hannah-Jones tenure.
Protesters removed
The UNC trustees quickly moved into closed session soon after starting its meeting. News & Observer higher education reporter Kate Murphy reported that protesters from the school’s Black Student Movement attempted to stay in the meeting room in protest of the closed meeting and were forcibly removed by police.
UNC student body president Lamar Richards worked to diffuse the situation by telling protesters he had voted for a closed meeting, which is common for personnel discussions.
Hannah-Jones asked for the names of students pushed out of the trustees’ meeting room.
As the trustees debated tenure for Hannah-Jones, the early online reaction centered on the way students were removed from the meeting room.
Ahead of the meeting, Hussman alumnus Jeremiah Rhodes, now a video producer for the Nashville paper The Tennessean, tweeted that Hannah-Jones inspired him to stay in journalism.
Reaction to the vote
Following the trustees’ 9-4 vote granting tenure, the Hussman School released a statement on Twitter from Dean Susan King praising the decision, calling her new colleague a “Journalist’s journalist and a teacher’s teacher....”
Other Hussman faculty members also weighed in, including Seth Noar, the James Howard and Hallie McLean Parker Distinguished Professor at the school.
UNC alum Brooke Pryor, who covers the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers for ESPN, tweeted support of the decision but called the process getting to wednesday’s meeting “Absurd.”
North Carolina Governor and UNC alum Roy Cooper was one of the state’s first politicians to weigh in after the trustees’ tenure decision, saying the move was “the right thing.”
North Carolina House Democratic Leader Robert Reives issued a statement to congratulate Hannah-Jones on a “well-deserved tenure vote.” “Our flagship university needs a diverse range of viewpoints and the ability for them to be heard, especially in an academic setting.”
He cited Student Body President Lamar Richards for “his outstanding student leadership.”
Director Peyton Reed, a UNC alumnus who directed Marvel’s Ant-Man films, among othes, congratulated Hannah-Jones. “This is great news for @UNC. Cheers!”
How did Nikole Hannah-Jones react?
After the vote, Hannah-Jones tweeted a photo of her hand holding an adult beverage, but has not officially said whether she will report to work on July 1.
Here is Nikole Hannah-Jones’ full statement:
“I want to acknowledge the tremendous outpouring of support I’ve received from students, faculty, colleagues and the general public over the last month — including the young people today who showed up at the Board of Trustees meeting, putting themselves at physical risk,” she said. “I am honored and grateful for and inspired by you all. I know that this vote would not have occurred without you.”
“Today’s outcome and the actions of the past month are about more than just me. This fight is about ensuring the journalistic and academic freedom of Black writers, researchers, teachers and students. We must ensure that our work is protected and able to proceed free from the risk of repercussions, and we are not there yet.
“These last weeks have been very challenging and difficult and I need to take some time to process all that has occurred and determine what is the best way forward.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Nikole Hannah-Jones supporters cheer UNC vote to give tenure, but what’s her response?."