Nikole Hannah-Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nikole Hannah-Jones
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Hannah-Jones in 2018
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Nikole Sheri Hannah
April 9, 1976 Waterloo, Iowa, U.S.
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| Education | University of Notre Dame (BA) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MA) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | Investigative journalism, activism |
| Spouse(s) | Faraji Hannah-Jones |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | MacArthur Fellowship (2017) Pulitzer Prize (2020) |
Nikole Sheri Hannah-Jones (born April 9, 1976) is an American investigative journalist. She is known for her work covering civil rights in the United States. In 2015, she joined The New York Times as a writer. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in 2017. In 2020, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her work on The 1619 Project. Hannah-Jones is now a special professor at Howard University. She holds the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism there. She also started the Center for Journalism and Democracy at Howard.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Nikole Hannah-Jones was born in Waterloo, Iowa. Her father was African-American and her mother was white. She is the second of three daughters. She grew up in the Catholic faith.
Hannah-Jones and her sister went to mostly white schools. This was part of a program to help schools become less separated by race. She went to Waterloo West High School. There, she wrote for the school newspaper. She finished high school in 1994.
After high school, Hannah-Jones studied at the University of Notre Dame. She earned a degree in history and African-American studies in 1998. Later, she earned a master's degree in journalism in 2003. This was from the University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
In 2023, she received an honorary degree from Chicago State University. This means she was recognized for her important work.
Journalism Career
Nikole Hannah-Jones started her journalism career in 2003. She first reported on education for The News & Observer in Raleigh. She worked there for three years.
In 2006, she moved to Portland, Oregon. She wrote for The Oregonian newspaper for six years. Her work included stories about people, government, and population changes.
From 2008 to 2009, Hannah-Jones traveled to Cuba. She studied their healthcare and education systems. In 2011, she joined ProPublica, a nonprofit news group. There, she focused on civil rights. She investigated how some housing laws were not being followed. These laws were meant to prevent unfair treatment of minorities.
In 2021, Hannah-Jones became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a group that honors important thinkers. In 2022, she helped start the 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo, Iowa. This school helps young students improve their reading skills. It was inspired by the Freedom Schools of the 1960s civil rights movement.
Working at The New York Times
In 2015, Hannah-Jones became a reporter for The New York Times. She wrote about important topics. These included how schools and neighborhoods were still separated by race. She also covered unfair housing practices. She often spoke about these issues on public radio.
Her goal was to show how unfair systems and laws can continue racism. Her work on racial inequality has been very important. For example, she reported on the school district where Michael Brown was shot. She showed it was one of the most segregated and poor districts in Missouri.
In 2017, she received a special award from the MacArthur Foundation. The award recognized her for "Chronicling the persistence of racial segregation in American society." It also noted her role in "reshaping national conversations around education reform."
The 1619 Project
In 2019, Hannah-Jones started The 1619 Project. This project aimed to change how people understood the history of slavery in the United States. It marked 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia. The project was a special issue of The New York Times Magazine.
The project's goal was to put the effects of slavery and the contributions of Black Americans at the center of America's story. It included essays by many writers and experts. Hannah-Jones wrote that "No aspect of the country that would be formed here has been untouched by the years of slavery that followed." The project also featured poems, short stories, and photos. It grew into a larger effort with newspaper sections, live events, and a podcast.
In 2020, Hannah-Jones won a Pulitzer Prize for her work on the 1619 Project. The award praised her "sweeping, provocative and personal essay." It noted how the project made people talk about America's founding and growth. The project has been recognized as one of the top journalism works of the 2010s. In 2022, she received the Social Justice Impact Award at the NAACP Image Awards.
University of North Carolina and Howard University
In 2021, the University of North Carolina (UNC) announced that Hannah-Jones would join their journalism school. She was offered a special teaching position. However, there was some disagreement about whether she should also receive a permanent teaching position (called tenure). This discussion involved political groups and led to protests from students and faculty.
Hannah-Jones stated that she believed the delay in offering her tenure was due to political reasons. She felt it was also because of her views and her race and gender. After much discussion, UNC's leaders voted to offer her the tenured position.
However, Hannah-Jones decided not to accept the job at UNC. Instead, she chose to join Howard University in Washington, D.C. She became the first Knight Chair in Race and Journalism there. She explained that she could not work at a school named after someone she disagreed with politically.
Hannah-Jones also brought significant funding to Howard University. This money helps support her work and the new Center for Journalism and Democracy.
Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting
In 2016, Nikole Hannah-Jones helped start the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting. She founded it with Ron Nixon, Corey Johnson, and Topher Sanders. This group works to support and promote investigative journalism.
Personal Life
Nikole Hannah-Jones lives in Brooklyn, New York. She lives with her husband, Faraji Hannah-Jones, and their daughter.
Awards and Honors
- 2013: Sidney Award
- 2015: National Association of Black Journalists, Journalist of the Year
- 2015: Education Writers Association, Fred M. Hechinger Grand Prize
- 2017: MacArthur Foundation Fellowship
- 2017: National Magazine Award winner, public interest
- 2019: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Distinguished Alumna Award
- 2020: 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
- 2021: Time magazine 100 Most Influential People
- 2022: NAACP Image Award Social Justice Impact Award
- 2022: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction for "The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story"
- 2023: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series for The 1619 Project TV series
See also
In Spanish: Nikole Hannah-Jones para niños
