2022 Free Expression Awards

Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and Founder of the Center for Journalism and Democracy, Howard University

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a Pulitzer Prize–winning writer who has championed free speech, challenged academic censorship and worked to increase diversity in journalism.

Her 1619 Project explored the legacy of slavery in the United States, sparking a nationwide conversation. Amid backlash against the project, she challenged being denied tenure at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: “I fought this battle because I know that all across this country Black faculty, and faculty from other marginalized groups, are having their opportunities stifled.”

She ultimately moved to Howard University, where she is the Knight Chair in Race and Journalism and founder of the new Center for Journalism and Democracy.

Hannah-Jones has spent her career reporting on racial inequality and injustice, earning her the MacArthur Fellowship, a Peabody Award, two George Polk Awards and three National Magazine Awards. She is a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine.

In 2016, Hannah-Jones co-founded the Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting to support reporters and editors of color.