Following the Board of Trustees’ meeting Thursday morning, UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz held a media availability where he was asked to comment on the board’s decision to “postpone” its review of Hannah-Jones’ tenure application.
Hannah-Jones was set to return to her alma mater as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism, a tenured professorship. However, as first reported by NC Policy Watch, the school has changed its plans following political pressure from conservative groups who object to her work “The 1619 Project.”
“I respect the role that our Board of Trustees play in our model of shared governance,” Guskiewicz said. “Our Board of Trustees play an important role in overseeing the university, including in reviewing all applications for tenure.”
Chair of the Board of Trustees Richard Stevens sat in on the media availability to clarify the board’s rationale for the postponement. He said more time was needed to go over Hannah-Jones’ application and answer questions regarding her candidacy.
“We take seriously our responsibility for approving tenure – we’re talking about a lifetime position here,” Stevens said. “So, it’s not unusual for members of the board, or in particular the chair of the committee, to have questions for clarification about background – particularly candidates that don’t come from a traditional, academic-type background.”
Stevens said neither UNC Provost Bob Blouin nor Guskiewicz provided recommendations on Hannah-Jones’ appointment ahead of the board’s January meeting – when tenure candidacy was discussed.
“We took no action on this appointment,” Stevens said.
Earlier on Thursday, protesters gathered at the Carolina Inn to protest the board’s decision to “postpone” its review of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tenure application.
During the trustees’ 9 a.m. meeting, protesters moved inside the Carolina Inn, disrupting operations, singing “we will not be moved.” At least one person was escorted out of the room.
Stevens cited UNC’s Free Speech Act, enacted in 2017, which allows the public into board meetings, but reserves the right to remove peoples in cases of disruption.
“Anyone who does not leave when asked or does not put down signs which obstruct the audience view will be removed and may be subject to arrest,” Stevens said.
Community members break out in song as Board of Trustees members speak. At least one man is escorted from the room.#NikoleHannahJones pic.twitter.com/jpMiHsP3VH
— WCHL & Chapelboro (@WCHLChapelboro) May 20, 2021
Hannah-Jones, who covers civil rights and racial justice for The New York Times Magazine, won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for commentary for an essay she wrote as part of The 1619 Project – which highlights the long-term consequences of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans. She was one of multiple writers, photographers and editors on the project.
Now, Hannah-Jones will start July 1 for a fixed, five-year term with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media as Professor of the Practice — with the option of being reviewed for tenure at the end of that time period.
Dawna Jones, Chair of the Carolina Black Caucus, was one of the protest attendees Thursday morning. She said the community’s disdain and disappointment over the board’s decision to “interfere” in the tenure process is apparent.
“My phone rang off the hook yesterday,” Jones said. “I heard frustration from folks. I heard anger from faculty, especially retired faculty who respect the tenure process and know what goes into and how much work goes into that process. I also heard from people that they were just mortified for us and embarrassed for us as an institution, that we are still yet again in the news for not positive things. The worst part of it, what I heard from people, was just that demoralized feeling of, you know, every step toward progress, we’re three steps back with more situations like these.”
Protestors gathered outside the Carolina Inn Thursday morning.
Also at the protest was Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, the Interim Chief Diversity Officer for UNC. Anderson-Thompkins said she came out to the protest not only to support the Carolina community, but also the African American community and Black faculty.
“I think that there are too many times when faculty of color, specifically Black faculty are slighted,” Anderson-Thompkins said. “They are perceived as lesser than – we should just be grateful to have an appointment. I think it’s important that our chancellor or our leaders go to bat for her and not just decide to bring it up for a vote, but to make a compelling case for why you would tenure her.”
Alongside the protest, UNC Student Government put out a “heartfelt letter” Thursday, praising Hannah-Jones and condemning the Board of Trustees’ decision.
“We cannot stand by as our University routinely diminishes and undercuts marginalized and BIPOC voices in academia in an effort to bend toward partisan pressures rooted in a fear of America’s historical truths,” the letter read.
Signed by more than 30 members of UNC’s Student Government, the letter states the recent decision to “deny” Hannah-Jones tenure follows a series of events in which University leadership has “downplayed and dismissed antiracism efforts.”
“This includes disregarding the 2020 Roadmap for Racial Equity signed by over 1,200 UNC faculty, students, staff, alumni, and local community members, establishing a “Monument Trust” for Silent Sam in 2019, and the constant exclusion of input from students, faculty, and communities of color in their decision making,” the letter reads. “We have lost faith in our University to uphold the values so important to our student body and have lost trust in our University to treat academics of color with the respect and dignity that they deserve.”
Hannah-Jones herself has not responded to multiple requests for interviews with various media outlets. She took to Twitter on Thursday afternoon to reach out to her followers, saying she was “overwhelmed by all the support you all have shown me.”
I have been overwhelmed by all the support you all have shown me. It has truly fortified my spirit and my resolve. You all know that I will OK. But this fight is bigger than me, and I will try my best not to let you down.
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones) May 20, 2021
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