The University made the right decision. Ms. Hannah-Jones take on American history is arguably - and arguability is what matter here, not certainty - destructive of the national ethos and self-esteem. A five-year contract while the fall-out from the 1619 Project plays out makes sense. Maybe donors and students will shun UNC because of Ms. H-J's presence, and maybe they won't. Maybe the 1619 Project will cause a paradigm shift in our national thinking, or maybe we will realize that an aspirational origin story is more important than a true origin story. (Just about every existing nation was created by someone conquering, raping, assimilating, or annihilating someone.)

Academic freedom is one thing, and it's an important thing, but the 1619 project was not an academic work; right or wrong, it was a polemic. It's moving force deserves to be heard, but she does not deserve a lifetime appointment.