United States: CFWIJ condemns the discriminatory decision against Nikole Hannah-Jones

May 21, 2021- Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and journalist for The New York Times magazine was discriminated against for a tenured position that she was offered at the University of North Carolina. U.N.C announced in April that Nikole Hannah-Jones was being appointed as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at Hussman school of Journalism and Media. She was supposed to formally join in July while continuing her writing for The Time magazine. Nikole Hannah Jones offered a contract for five years with a review option instead of a tenured position. On Wednesday, May 19, it was reported that the University’s board of trustees had refused to cater to Ms Nikole's application for tenure. CFWIJ considers this a discriminatory decision against a celebrated and accomplished writer. We demand that the University clears its position and award Nikole a tenured position. This decision from the board of trustees has sent a very wrong message among the students and Black journalists community. 

Nikole Hannah-Jones was very much involved in The Times 1619’s Project and wrote fact-finding details about the history of slavery in colonies that would later become the United States. She won a Pulitzer prize for her introductory essay in the project. Reportedly this achievement has brought a backlash from the conservative groups. One of the board's trustees spoke to the Policy Watch on the condition of staying anonymous. He said that It was a workaround. This was a very political thing. The university's trustees, governors, and legislature have been under pressure since the decision was announced last month. He shared that people were writing letters and making calls against it.

University’s spokesperson, Joanne Peters Denny shared in a statement that the details of individual faculty hiring processes are personal and protected information. Nearly 40 staff members from the journalism school have signed an online petition on Wednesday, May 19 calling this decision to be reversed. They called the decision an unfair move against the longstanding values and established process of the university. 

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) has also issued a statement. The association’s president Dorothy Tucker shared that NABJ has reached out to the university to determine the reason behind not granting tenure to Nikole. “If the speculations are true then we denounce any decision to deny a distinguished journalist, a tenure because she simply did her job while reporting facts about slavery in America,” said Dorothy Tucker.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is dismayed over the discrimination against Nikole Hannah-Jones. We demand that University’s board reviews their decision and offer Ms Nikole the tenured position that she deserves. We hope that the university will respect a journalist's remarkable contribution in the field of history rather than making it an excuse to discriminate against her.