UNC Donor Raised Concerns Over Nikole Hannah-Jones Hiring, Claimed the 1619 Project Was '[Pushing] An Agenda'
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In the months before journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’s application for tenure at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism & Media was initially denied, major school donor Walter Hussman Jr. repeatedly voiced his concerns over Hannah-Jones’ hiring in emails with university leaders and Board of Trustee members. Hussman, whose $25 million donation to UNC-Chapel Hill in 2019 literally got the School of Journalism & Media named after him and who is also the publisher of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, reportedly claimed in correspondence that Hannah-Jones’s journalistic work wasn’t objective. A white male journalist accusing a Black woman known for her reporting on the history of slavery in the United States of not being objective???? What utterly unoriginal racism.
Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones is best known for creating the 1619 Project, a long-form journalistic re-exploration of the legacy of slavery in U.S. history that has been the source of much controversy ever since its release nearly two years ago in August 2019. Apparently, white people—especially historians, politicians, and bored suburban parents—are very upset when confronted with any version of history that does not center whiteness. In April, Hannah-Jones was offered a five-year contract to serve as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill, but after going through the extensive tenure application process, her application was rejected by the university’s Board of Trustees—making her the first person who has held the position not to be offered tenure.
Hussman portrays himself publicly as a journalist very concerned with objectivity and neutrality, but clearly falls into the category of white people who were pressed over the 1619 Project not being centered around white historical memory. In fact, he reportedly said exactly that in an email about Hannah-Jones sent last September that was obtained by North Carolina publication The Assembly. Hussman took particular offense to a line in Hannah-Jones’ introductory essay in the 1619 Project which referenced the 1960s Civil Rights battle, stating “for the most part, Black Americans fought back alone.”