Mass. school principal on leave after rescinding speaking invite to Nikole Hannah-Jones
The head of a private prep school in Massachusetts is temporarily stepping away from his role following outcry over a decision to cancel a speaking engagement with journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones.
The Daily Beast was first to report that David Beare, the head of the school, is “taking a leave of absence,” following the controversy. The school’s trustees also are launching an “independent review” about the decision, The Boston Globe reported.
Hannah-Jones said a friend invited her to speak at the school in February as part of Black History Month. On Oct. 18, Hannah-Jones tweeted that the president and board had canceled her talk. On Oct. 19, Beare told The Boston Globe that the school worried that “individuals from outside our community might inadvertently distract from the insights and perspective that she intended to share.”
The situation echoed conversations from this summer after a tenure dispute involving Hannah-Jones and UNC-Chapel Hill and the role of diversity of thought in education.
The decision in Massachusetts prompted alumni and faculty to voice their concerns and students to stage a walkout on Friday, The Boston Globe reported.
Beare and the president of the trustees later issued an apology for the “shameful mistake,” The Boston Globe reported. Trustees said the entire body hadn’t been consulted about the cancellation.
“We deeply regret it and have had many gut-wrenching conversations within our community regarding the decision, how it was made, and the disrespect we showed Professor Hannah-Jones,” they wrote.
Hannah-Jones, the Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of “The 1619 Project,” which examines the aftermath of slavery in the U.S., said she didn’t feel “canceled” by the decision and still planned to produce work and “speak where I am wanted.”
But the incident created a stir, continuing the national dialogue about diversity in education. The week before the cancellation was made public, the school northwest of Boston had expressed a desire to improve diversity and equity at the primarily residential school that has its roots as an all-male school, according to a letter on the school’s website.
“As an educational institution, we believe an open exchange of viewpoints is vital to student development and intellectual excellence,” the school wrote Oct. 15. “We believe that respectful debate and disagreement are not only healthy, but the very ground upon which a learning community thrives. We realize that, at times, that discourse may become uncomfortable.”
Hannah-Jones, in revealing the cancellation, added in another tweet: “They were likely afraid that by having me — a NYT journalist & college professor — there, they’d invite backlash & another of the “‘woke’ people are ruining America” stories. Like I said: I’m good. I’m done fighting my way in. But the lack of courage in these times is so very sad.”
In a new letter, the trustees said they hoped to learn why the decision was made to rescind the invitation to Hannah-Jones and to “draw the necessary lessons,” The Boston Globe reported.
Echoes of UNC dispute
This summer, Hannah-Jones was set to become the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism at UNC. While she initially agreed to join the faculty without tenure, a delayed tenure offer ultimately prompted her to reject the job.
Now, she’s the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism at Howard University and continues to be a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine.
She is set to publish an expanded version of “The 1619 Project” in book form on Nov. 16. The project, while lauded, has been cited by Republicans in the debate over Critical Race Theory and the history lessons that are taught in schools.
Hannah-Jones, who graduated from UNC with a master’s degree in mass communication, will return to North Carolina next week to discuss the work as well as the aftermath of the tenure debate. On Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m., she will be the keynote speaker at UNC-Wilmington’s annual Writers Week, The News & Observer reported.
On Wednesday, she took part in a virtual forum of North Carolina educators. She said public education is currently in “a very dangerous period,” The N&O reported. She encouraged those who believe in public schools to fight against those who seek to quell facts being taught in schools.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 7:29 PM.