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“Making a Mark:” Ida B. Wells Society and UNC Hussman inaugural event

November 15, 2019


The Ida B. Wells Society for Investigative Reporting will launch its partnership with UNC Hussman with a thoughtful conversation with some of America’s leading investigative reporters on Saturday, Nov. 16.

The inaugural event will take place in Carroll Hall with society co-founders including Nikole Hannah-Jones ’03 (M.A.). The conversation will range from Jones’ massively influential The 1619 Project for The New York Times Magazine, to the future of investigative journalism, to raising the caliber of reporting through diverse voices. The panelists will also discuss their own careers and give students tips on reporting stories and charting their own paths.

Hannah-Jones is a domestic correspondent at The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice. She envisioned and helped shape The 1619 Project, examining how the legacy of slavery continues to influence life in the United States. She was a Roy H. Park Fellow as a graduate student from 2001–03 and delivered the Hussman School commencement speech in 2017, the year she was named a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow.

The mission of the Ida B. Wells Society, named after the pioneering black journalist and civil rights leader, is to increase the ranks, retention and profile of reporters and editors of color in the field of investigative reporting. The society seeks to raise the awareness of, and opportunities for, investigative reporting among journalists of color and to foster the desire for social justice journalism and accountability reporting about racial injustice. From its new base at UNC Hussman, a move announced this summer, the co-founders will advise and mentor Hussman students and share their investigative journalism expertise at Carolina in a number of platforms - starting with this event.

The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in 111 Carroll Hall at 10:30 a.m. It is free and open to the public. Be sure to register here if you’re planning to attend.

Nikole Hannah-Jones also spoke to UNC's Well Said podcast about her time at the school and her work on the 1619 project. You can listen to that here: