The UNC Board of Trustees is under renewed pressure to consider the tenure application of incoming journalism professor Nikole Hannah-Jones or it could face federal and state lawsuits.

A report from NC Policy Watch on Saturday said attorneys with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the law firm Levy Ratner and the law firm Ferguson Chambers & Sumpter sent a letter to the university’s general counsel on Thursday. The letter, in response to the Board of Trustees’ delay of consideration of Hannah-Jones’ tenure application, said the attorneys will file a lawsuit against UNC if the Pulitzer Prize-winner is not offered tenure by Friday.

“We intend to bring litigation to vindicate Ms. Hannah-Jones’ rights under federal and state law,” reads the message, as reported by NC Policy Watch. “This letter is to demand that UNC take immediate action to remedy its conduct to avoid suit by making an unconditional offer to Ms. Hannah-Jones of a tenured appointment as full professor no later than June 4, 2021.”

Thursday’s letter is the latest action in a series following the Board of Trustees’ inaction of consideration, which Chair of the Board Richard Stevens said stems from the New York Times Magazine reporter’s lack of “traditional academic-type background.” Hired as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism, Hannah-Jones received recommendation from the leadership of the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media to be hired as a full professor with tenure.

A report from NC Policy Watch on May 19 said the board chose to instead hire Hannah-Jones on a fixed five-year term following “political pressure from conservatives” after her hire was announced. The report, which cites an unnamed UNC trustee, said the decision to not immediately consider tenure for Hannah-Jones was politically-driven, as a result of the reporter’s work on the 1619 Project studying the impact of slavery and race in the United States.

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize winner and the winner of a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship. According to reports, UNC could face state and federal lawsuits if university leadership does not consider her tenure application by June 4. (Photo via the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.)

According to Thursday’s letter regarding potential lawsuits, the board initially received Hannah-Jones’ tenure application in November 2020 and chose not to take action on it during board meetings in November and January 2021. Hannah-Jones then accepted the offer for a fixed five-year term in February.

Past Knight Chairs, which are journalism professorships created by the Knight Foundation, at UNC received tenure upon the professors’ hires to the university. Attorneys with the law firms and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund referenced this in their letter to UNC and also said trustees could have violated laws meant to prevent politics from influencing personnel decisions.

“UNC Officials, including individuals on the Board of Trustees, may choose to personally agree with the conservative pundits and elected officials who have been vocally hostile and antagonistic to Ms. Hannah-Jones’ professional work and achievements,” reads the letter, “but they are prohibited from furthering, promoting, or imposing their political opinion and viewpoints through officials acts on behalf of UNC.”

Outcry both locally and nationally continued this week on behalf of Hannah-Jones. UNC faculty and student leadership urged the Board of Trustees to call a special meeting to consider Hannah-Jones’ tenure application, while UNC alumni and a group of national artists, athletes and academics penned messages condemning the board’s failure to approve tenure.

Hannah-Jones is set to begin her role as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC in July.


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