Skip to content
ADVERTISEMENT
Sign In
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
  • More
  • Sections
    • News
    • Advice
    • The Review
  • Topics
    • Data
    • Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
    • Finance & Operations
    • International
    • Leadership & Governance
    • Teaching & Learning
    • Scholarship & Research
    • Student Success
    • Technology
    • Transitions
    • The Workplace
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Special Issues
    • Podcast: College Matters from The Chronicle
  • Newsletters
  • Virtual Events
  • Ask Chron
  • Store
    • Featured Products
    • Reports
    • Data
    • Collections
    • Back Issues
  • Jobs
    • Find a Job
    • Post a Job
    • Professional Development
    • Career Resources
    • Virtual Career Fair
    Upcoming Events:
    A Culture of Cybersecurity
    Opportunities in the Hard Sciences
    Career Preparation
Sign In
Ticker circle logo

The Ticker

Breaking news from all corners of academe.

How One Professor’s Tweets Got Her Fired — or So It Seemed at First

By Andy Thomason July 1, 2015

At 3:43 p.m. on Tuesday, the University of Memphis made an announcement:

Zandria Robinson is no longer employed by the University of Memphis.

— UofMemphis (@uofmemphis) June 30, 2015

To continue reading for FREE, please sign in.

Sign In

Or subscribe now to read with unlimited access for as low as $10/month.

Don’t have an account? Sign up now.

A free account provides you access to a limited number of free articles each month, plus newsletters, job postings, salary data, and exclusive store discounts.

Sign Up

At 3:43 p.m. on Tuesday, the University of Memphis made an announcement:

Zandria Robinson is no longer employed by the University of Memphis.

— UofMemphis (@uofmemphis) June 30, 2015

Cue rumors that Ms. Robinson, an assistant professor of sociology, had been fired for statements she made on Twitter about whiteness and the Confederate flag. Conservative websites were abuzz on Tuesday with articles quoting from the sociologist’s Twitter account. For instance, The Washington Times reported that Ms. Robinson called the Confederate flag “the ultimate symbol of white heteropatriarchal capitalism.” National Review reported that Ms. Robinson said the shooting in Charleston, S.C., that left nine black people dead was an example of “white people acting how they’re conditioned to act.”

Throughout Tuesday, Memphis, a state university, endured a flood of angry messages on its social-media accounts demanding that Ms. Robinson be fired. Here’s a taste from Twitter:

@2MBikers2DC @uofmemphis Zandria Robinson needs to be fired immediately or does U of Memphis endorse racism. https://t.co/SxYvZfrSD2

— American (@shookw) June 30, 2015

As long as they employ racist filth like @zfelice, @uofmemphis is basically stealing their students’ tuition. #teachingracism, indeed.

— Ben Crystal (@Bennettruth) June 30, 2015

So @uofmemphis does hate filled, bigoted racist @zfelice speck for your values? Casts a long, very dark shadow on UofM

— Concerned American (@LUVofCountry) June 30, 2015

A Facebook post from the university advertising a STEM scholarship featured these comments:

Screen Shot 2015-06-30 at 6.11.19 PM

Clearly, the university felt compelled to weigh in. And onlookers, understandably, jumped to the conclusion that Ms. Robinson’s change in employment status had something to do with her fiery remarks. Cue the outrage:

Where was actual “review” of this sociologist? Rapid fire dismissal? @TressieMcPhD https://t.co/LFMZyAFhzR

— Sara Goldrick-Rab (@saragoldrickrab) June 30, 2015

Firing a professor because you dislike her expressed views is not really something to be proud out. The opposite: https://t.co/xmPMQPdWba

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) June 30, 2015

A black female sociology prof just got fired for tweeting about whiteness, racism, the Confederate flag. http://t.co/FJJdycsPvo

— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) June 30, 2015

Just minutes after Twitter caught fire with denunciations of the university under the hashtag #ZandriaRobinson, others — including some who said they were close to Ms. Robinson — responded with new information that complicated the narrative:

Yo, @uofmemphis is correct, Zandria Robinson is not employed at the institution anymore. RELAX people, everything is good. #thehusband

— Marco Pavé (@KingofMarco) June 30, 2015

@saragoldrickrab Zandria was not fired. She accepted another position a few weeks ago.

— Cliff Heegel (@Cliff_Heegel) June 30, 2015

But the Twitter outrage was hard to contain, and questions still swirled about the scholar’s status. Then Ms. Robinson herself weighed in. Her account is now protected, meaning not everyone can see her tweets. But one of her followers quoted her response below:

#ZandriaRobinson RT @zfelice Y’all. I was not fired. I signed a contract for another job at May, so I don’t work at U. Memphis anymore.

— Nyasha Junior (@NyashaJunior) June 30, 2015

#ZandriaRobinson MT @zfelice I ain’t say where I’m going because I’m LeBron and I wasn’t ready to do The Decision announcement yet.

— Nyasha Junior (@NyashaJunior) June 30, 2015

#ZandriaRobison MT @zfelice appreciate that UM said I didn’t work there any longer, because that is entirely true & maintains my privacy.

— Nyasha Junior (@NyashaJunior) June 30, 2015

Ms. Robinson’s tweets hardly quieted the discussion, which continued into the evening on the topics of racism in academe and the University of Memphis’s response. Angus Johnston, a professor at the City University of New York who runs the blog Student Activism, took Memphis to task for making it seem as if Ms. Robinson had been fired:

Update: It appears #ZandriaRobinson wasn’t fired after all. Just screwed over by a vindictive former employer. http://t.co/FJJdycsPvo

— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) June 30, 2015

Because the tweet was written to make it sound like #ZandriaRobinson was let go, and let go for her social media posts.

— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) June 30, 2015

And the effect of THAT is to stir up her attackers, poison the well at her new job, and make other scholars fearful.

— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) June 30, 2015

When reached by phone about an hour after that tweet was published, a Memphis spokeswoman, Gabrielle Maxey, said the university would not provide further information other than what was in its tweet.

ADVERTISEMENT

The recent cases of Saida Grundy and Steven G. Salaita have made higher-education observers especially sensitive to alleged violations of academic freedom that stem from scholars’ statements on social media. And the national furor over race can only add fuel to the fire.

By 8 p.m., the hashtag #ZandriaRobinson was quiet. But Tuesday’s episode still left unanswered questions, and demonstrated that the conversation about black scholars and academic freedom seems unlikely to die down anytime soon.

Let’s be clear -- we’re not in the clear. This is another instance of racist-sexist conservatives attempting to silence WOC public scholars.

— EricAnthonyGrollman (@grollman) June 30, 2015

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Share
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Email
Thomason_Andy.jpg
About the Author
Andy Thomason
Andy Thomason is an assistant managing editor at The Chronicle and the author of the book Discredited: The UNC Scandal and College Athletics’ Amateur Ideal.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

More News

Illustration showing two professors outside a university building sunk down in a large canyon, looking up at an unreachable outside world above them.
Stagnant pay
Professors Say They Need a Raise. They Probably Won’t Get One.
Photo-based illustration depicting a basketball scene with a hand palming a quarter, another hand of a man wearing a suit sleeve, and a basketball goal made from a $100 bill and the Capitol building.
Sports shakeup
A New Normal Looms in College Athletics. Can Trump Help Shape It?
Illustration showing three classical columns on stacks of coins, at different heights due to the amount of coins stacked underneath
Data
These 35 Colleges Could Take a Financial Hit Under Republicans’ Expanded Endowment Tax
Illustration showing details of a U.S. EEOC letter to Harvard U.
Bias Allegations
Faculty Hiring Is Under Federal Scrutiny at Harvard

From The Review

Solomon-0512 B.jpg
The Review | Essay
The Conscience of a Campus Conservative
By Daniel J. Solomon
Illustration depicting a pendulum with a red ball featuring a portion of President Trump's face to the left about to strike balls showing a group of protesters.
The Review | Opinion
Trump Is Destroying DEI With the Same Tools That Built It
By Noliwe M. Rooks
Illustration showing two men and giant books, split into two sides—one blue and one red. The two men are reaching across the center color devide to shake hands.
The Review | Opinion
Left and Right Agree: Higher Ed Needs to Change
By Michael W. Clune

Upcoming Events

Ascendium_06-10-25_Plain.png
Views on College and Alternative Pathways
Coursera_06-17-25_Plain.png
AI and Microcredentials
  • Explore Content
    • Latest News
    • Newsletters
    • Letters
    • Free Reports and Guides
    • Professional Development
    • Virtual Events
    • Chronicle Store
    • Chronicle Intelligence
    • Jobs in Higher Education
    • Post a Job
  • Know The Chronicle
    • About Us
    • Vision, Mission, Values
    • DEI at The Chronicle
    • Write for Us
    • Work at The Chronicle
    • Our Reporting Process
    • Advertise With Us
    • Brand Studio
    • Accessibility Statement
  • Account and Access
    • Manage Your Account
    • Manage Newsletters
    • Individual Subscriptions
    • Group and Institutional Access
    • Subscription & Account FAQ
  • Get Support
    • Contact Us
    • Reprints & Permissions
    • User Agreement
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • California Privacy Policy
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037
© 2025 The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is academe’s most trusted resource for independent journalism, career development, and forward-looking intelligence. Our readers lead, teach, learn, and innovate with insights from The Chronicle.
Follow Us
  • twitter
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • facebook
  • linkedin