Nikole Hannah-Jones, the journalist who wrote “The 1619 Project”, was offered the position as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Hannah-Jones was supposed to start the position on July 1st. Although the journalism department recommended Hannah-Jones for tenure, the university Board of Trustees denied her a tenure vote. The process by which she was denied a vote for tenure can fairly be categorized as unusual and politically driven. After Hannah-Jones lawyered-up and threatened legal action, UNC brought her tenure to a vote at the last possible minute. The board approved tenure by a 9 to 4 vote. I could write for weeks about whether this situation proves or disproves the existence of systemic racism, misogyny, misogynoir, white fragility, and cancel culture. What I find more fascinating about this is what it says about fighting for a seat at the table.
“I want to be in the room where it happens.”
A lot of self-help books talk about strategies for “getting a seat at the table.” Or, I guess now it might be called trying to “be in the room where it happens.” Whatever you call it, it means being somewhere that you can have influence and play a role in making decisions. The Nikole Hannah-Jones tenure fiasco is an interesting example of how hard it can be to get a seat at the table. But, it’s also a great example of knowing your value.
“Go where you are celebrated, not merely tolerated.”—Paul F. Davis
The entire idea of getting a seat at the table assumes that the table you’re trying to get a seat at is the only and best option. After UNC approved tenure, Hannah-Jones basically told them “thanks, but no thanks.” In explaining her decision to reject the Knight Chair position at UNC and teach at Howard University, Hannah-Jones wrote:
The Board of Trustees wanted to send a message to me and others like me, and it did. I always tell college students and journalists who are worried that they will face discrimination, who fear that they will be judged not by their work but for who they are or what they choose to write about, that they can only worry about that which is in their own control: their own excellence. I tell them all they can do is work as hard as possible to make themselves undeniable. And yet, we have all seen that you can do everything to make yourself undeniable, and those in power can change the rules and attempt to deny you anyway.
At some point when you have proven yourself and fought your way into institutions that were not built for you, when you’ve proven you can compete and excel at the highest level, you have to decide that you are done forcing yourself in.
Instead of taking her place in the seat that she fought for, Hannah-Jones decided to sit at a better table. And it makes sense. Trying to succeed as an educator and an academic is challenging on its own. Succeeding while people holding you back is a great story, but that isn’t the best environment to thrive in. Nikole Hannah-Jones is showing that there’s another way.
“But I also get to decide what battles I continue to fight.”
Hannah-Jones acknowledged that some people will accuse her of letting the opposition win. And she let those naysayers know that it isn’t her job to fix other people’s messed up system. Instead of sitting at a table that is a somewhat hostile environment, she decided to sit at a table where she could “do (her) work unimpeded.”
Some people would have chosen to go to UNC and fight to change them from the inside. That’s an admirable and valid choice. Choosing to go somewhere that is more supportive so you can focus on making changes in other areas is just as valid.
