UNC Trustees greenlight tenure for Nikole Hannah-Jones, who is known for the 1619 Project

"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," Hannah-Jones said.

By Alex Nitzberg

Trustees at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have approved tenure for Nikole Hannah-Jones, the New York Times Magazine journalist who won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for The 1619 Project.

"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,” Hannah-Jones said in a statement, according to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

The educational institution announced in April that Hannah-Jones would become the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism in July. Last week her attorneys said she would not report for the role without tenure, according to the Associated Press.