Hannah-Jones, After Successfully Intimidating UNC into Tenure Position, Declines It

KING We reported how ░░░░░░░░ of North Carolina trustees ░░░░░░░░ to offer tenure to ░░░░░░░░ Nikole Hannah Jones after ░░░░░░░░ of controversy She is ░░░░░░░░ with us now for ░░░░░░░░ first interview since the ░░░░░░░░ was approved It was ░░░░░░░░ last week Wednesday July ░░░░░░░░ Nikole Hannah Jones we ░░░░░░░░ you to CBS This ░░░░░░░░ HANNAH JONES Thank you ░░░░░░░░ much KING What have ░░░░░░░░ decided to do We ░░░░░░░░ heard the vote was ░░░░░░░░ 4 offering you the ░░░░░░░░ What have you decided ░░░░░░░░ JONES Well I ve ░░░░░░░░ to decline the offer ░░░░░░░░ tenure I will not ░░░░░░░░ teaching on the faculty ░░░░░░░░ University of North Carolina ░░░░░░░░ Hill It s a ░░░░░░░░ difficult decision not a ░░░░░░░░ I wanted to make ░░░░░░░░ instead I m going ░░░░░░░░ be the inaugural Knight ░░░░░░░░ in race and journalism ░░░░░░░░ Howard University KING So ░░░░░░░░ things to unpack there ░░░░░░░░ let s start with ░░░░░░░░ declining the offer The ░░░░░░░░ was 9 4 clearly ░░░░░░░░ your favor There are ░░░░░░░░ people that could say ░░░░░░░░ said you wouldn t ░░░░░░░░ the job without being ░░░░░░░░ tenure They offered you ░░░░░░░░ tenure and you re ░░░░░░░░ saying Thanks but no ░░░░░░░░ JONES Absolutely KING Because ░░░░░░░░ JONES Well because look ░░░░░░░░ it took to get ░░░░░░░░ So this was a ░░░░░░░░ that since the 1980s ░░░░░░░░ with tenure The Knight ░░░░░░░░ are designed for a ░░░░░░░░ journalist who were working ░░░░░░░░ the field to come ░░░░░░░░ academia And every other ░░░░░░░░ before me who also ░░░░░░░░ to be white received ░░░░░░░░ position with tenure KING ░░░░░░░░ had never been denied ░░░░░░░░ one had ever been ░░░░░░░░ tenure before HANNAH JONES ░░░░░░░░ And I went through ░░░░░░░░ tenure process and I ░░░░░░░░ the unanimous approval of ░░░░░░░░ faculty to be granted ░░░░░░░░ And so to be ░░░░░░░░ it and to only ░░░░░░░░ that vote occur on ░░░░░░░░ last possible day at ░░░░░░░░ last possible moment after ░░░░░░░░ of legal action after ░░░░░░░░ of protest after it ░░░░░░░░ a national scandal it ░░░░░░░░ just not something that ░░░░░░░░ want anymore KING Because ░░░░░░░░ were two chances it ░░░░░░░░ to me they could ░░░░░░░░ voted for tenure in ░░░░░░░░ Then you heard the ░░░░░░░░ tenure offer was being ░░░░░░░░ Did anybody explain why ░░░░░░░░ was being pulled HANNAH ░░░░░░░░ No Gayle To this ░░░░░░░░ neither the chancellor or ░░░░░░░░ provost or anyone on ░░░░░░░░ board of trustees has ░░░░░░░░ told me why my ░░░░░░░░ was not taken up ░░░░░░░░ November why it was ░░░░░░░░ taken up in January ░░░░░░░░ even the public statements ░░░░░░░░ needing more information about ░░░░░░░░ credentials they voted without ░░░░░░░░ asking me or receiving ░░░░░░░░ additional information than what ░░░░░░░░ had in November KING ░░░░░░░░ at one point I ░░░░░░░░ there was an offer ░░░░░░░░ you could work there ░░░░░░░░ could teach for five ░░░░░░░░ and then they would ░░░░░░░░ tenure and it seems ░░░░░░░░ one point you had ░░░░░░░░ that offer right HANNAH ░░░░░░░░ I did KING You ░░░░░░░░ to do that And ░░░░░░░░ changed your mind HANNAH ░░░░░░░░ Well I accepted it ░░░░░░░░ going through months and ░░░░░░░░ of the tenure process ░░░░░░░░ is my alma mater ░░░░░░░░ love the university The ░░░░░░░░ has given me a ░░░░░░░░ and I wanted to ░░░░░░░░ back It was embarrassing ░░░░░░░░ be the first person ░░░░░░░░ be denied tenure It ░░░░░░░░ embarrassing and I didn ░░░░░░░░ want this to become ░░░░░░░░ public scandal I didn ░░░░░░░░ want to drag my ░░░░░░░░ through the pages of ░░░░░░░░ because I was the ░░░░░░░░ and the only black ░░░░░░░░ in that position to ░░░░░░░░ denied tenure so I ░░░░░░░░ willing to accept it ░░░░░░░░ Yeah you never spoke ░░░░░░░░ during that time HANNAH ░░░░░░░░ Never This did not ░░░░░░░░ public because of anything ░░░░░░░░ I did As you ░░░░░░░░ this is the first ░░░░░░░░ I m speaking about ░░░░░░░░ at all KING Why ░░░░░░░░ you suppose they didn ░░░░░░░░ right away offer you ░░░░░░░░ What do you think ░░░░░░░░ reason is HANNAH JONES ░░░░░░░░ mean what has been ░░░░░░░░ is that there was ░░░░░░░░ great deal of political ░░░░░░░░ by conservatives who don ░░░░░░░░ like the work that ░░░░░░░░ ve done particularly the ░░░░░░░░ Project and also by ░░░░░░░░ powerful donor who gave ░░░░░░░░ largest donation in the ░░░░░░░░ year history of the ░░░░░░░░ School So it s ░░░░░░░░ clear my tenure was ░░░░░░░░ taken up because of ░░░░░░░░ opposition because of discriminatory ░░░░░░░░ against my viewpoint and ░░░░░░░░ believe my race and ░░░░░░░░ gender KING Let s ░░░░░░░░ about it Should politics ░░░░░░░░ part of this process ░░░░░░░░ JONES No KING Seems ░░░░░░░░ become very very political ░░░░░░░░ JONES Yeah It s ░░░░░░░░ against state law for ░░░░░░░░ interference to be part ░░░░░░░░ the tenure process So ░░░░░░░░ it clearly shouldn t ░░░░░░░░ person who comes up ░░░░░░░░ tenure should be judged ░░░░░░░░ the quality of their ░░░░░░░░ by how they went ░░░░░░░░ the tenure process You ░░░░░░░░ again it has to ░░░░░░░░ made clear I went ░░░░░░░░ the official tenure process ░░░░░░░░ my peers in academia ░░░░░░░░ that I was deserving ░░░░░░░░ tenure These board members ░░░░░░░░ political appointees who decided ░░░░░░░░ I wasn’t.”