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On Monday, New York Times Pulitzer prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones posted a letter on Instagram (without a return address) mailed last November, which contained overtly racist and incendiary language.
Hannah-Jones, most known for conceptualizing and carrying out the critically-acclaimed 1619 Project, has long been a target of far-right extremism, with Republicans falsely accusing her of encouraging schools to teach Critical Race Theory, a college-level theory.
This long-running narrative cemented by the right has been easily proven false as no grade schools teach the graduate-level course. However, that hasn’t stopped their attacks on Black history in general and Hannah-Jones specifically.
As co-founder of The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting, Nikole Hannah-Jones is dedicated to increasing & retaining reporters and editors of color in investigative reporting.
With her culturally attuned perspective, over time she has surrounded herself with people to move her vision forward. Yet for every supporter gained, festering hatred and death threats have persisted in written letters and online as well.
Regardless of the many efforts to silence her, Hannah-Jones continues to represent the people and seek fairness for all. She is in public support of a walkout for herself and hundreds of journalists at The New York Times, threatening to start Thursday if the company does not reach a deal with their union.
According to The Hill, The Times Company and its workers union have for one month been negotiating a contract with a number of issues stymieing talks, including employee pay and benefits.
No matter the platform, Nikole Hannah-Jones’ tireless dedication to exploring the history of African American culture has inspired and enlightened her community while infuriating others for documenting their active participation and complicity along the way.
“We’re trying to fix segregation & inequality in education by not dealing with segregation & inequality.” – Nikole Hanna-Jones #GEO2018
— Luisa Taveras (@luisataveras2) May 1, 2018