Zandria Robinson, an assistant professor of Sociology at the University of Memphis, has left her job in the wake of media attention to her tweets on whiteness and the Confederate flag.
Robinson’s Twitter account is now locked, but according to an article in today’s Washington Times she recently tweeted that the Confederate flag is “the ultimate symbol of white heteropatriarchal capitalism,” and that “Whiteness is most certainly and inevitably terror.” She also retweeted a Tweet declaring that”the USA flag stands for the same thing as the confederate flag.”
About an hour ago, the University of Memphis tweeted the following:
Zandria Robinson is no longer employed by the University of Memphis.
— UofMemphis (@uofmemphis) June 30, 2015
Early this month Robinson was criticized by the conservative website Campus Reform for her comments on Facebook directed at those who believe “that students of color will simply get into graduate programs because they are racial or ethnic minorities,” as well as for tweets about whiteness and racism.
I have reached out to the university for clarification of their tweet. I will update when and if I receive a response.
Update | Worth noting that Robinson’s research field is the sociology of race, specifically blackness as it intersects with popular culture. She was employed as an assistant professor at the U of Memphis, where she received her MA, for three years.
Second Update | The original version of this post said that Professor Robinson was “apparently fired” — given the tone and timing of the university’s announcement, that seemed the most likely explanation for their tweet. Now, however, multiple people on Twitter, including a guy who seems to be her husband, are indicating that Robinson left voluntarily and has taken another job.
I put a request for comment into the university president when I first posted, and I will continue to follow up.
Third Update | If, as it increasingly appears, Zandria Robinson quit the U of Memphis for a more congenial job, then today’s tweet from her former employer — and their subsequent silence — was incredibly churlish and vindictive. The tweet was constructed to leave the impression that she was fired, and that she was fired for her social media posts. The effect of that is to hype up her attackers, poison the well at her new job, and ratchet up other scholars’ fears.
And this not merely from her employer of three years, but from her alma mater as well. Way to treat an alum, guys.
July 2 Update | The University of Memphis responded to my request for comment yesterday, confirming what Robinson had already stated through friends — that “Dr. Robinson no longer works at the University of Memphis and has accepted a position at another University.” It provided no reply to my query as to whether she had left voluntarily.
July 3 Update | Rhodes College in Memphis, a small private liberal arts college serving a primarily white student body, has announced that Robinson has taken a position at their institution. Their statement on the hiring described Robinson as “a leading scholar and author in the areas of race, class, gender, culture, and the South” whose public statements “are sometimes provocative, controversial, and debatable.” It lauded her “expertise in…gender studies and social movements,” as well as “her extensive understanding of the complex problems of race in American society, her deep roots in the Memphis area, and many years of successful teaching experience.”
The statement goes on to note that Robinson taught at Rhodes in 2008-09, when she “was well received by students,” and that “throughout her academic career, she has consistently demonstrated a commitment to mentor all students.
It concludes as follows:
“Dr. Robinson has an extensive and impressive body of scholarship that provides clarity and context to the sound bite world of social media. This situation ultimately shines a light on Rhodes as a place where intellectual engagement and the exchange of ideas are among our highest priorities.”
studentactivism.net 
9 comments
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June 30, 2015 at 10:48 pm
bbout
An alum that brings national attention to her alma mater in a most unfavorable light. Memphis is a sleeping beast of racial tension. Comments such as hers (and many with adverse views) will one day wake the beast. As a resident, I am afraid that awakening will not be pleasant.
July 1, 2015 at 2:18 am
Robert
She said that the Charleston shooting was an example of “white people acting how they’re conditioned to act.” You are seriously defending this indefensible kind of speech?
July 1, 2015 at 2:29 am
Andy Phillips
“The University of Memphis…Academic Freedom…Policy Statement…Issued: May 8, 2007…Responsible Official: Provost…
Responsible Office: Provost…The University of Memphis recognizes the principle of academic freedom, and accordingly:…
Faculty members are citizens, members of a learned profession, and officers of an educational institution. When faculty members speak or write as citizens, they should be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but their special position in the community imposes special obligations. As persons of learning and as educational officers, they should remember that the public may judge the profession and the University by their utterances. Hence, faculty members should at all times strive to be accurate, should exercise appropriate restraint, should show respect for the opinions of others, and should make every effort to indicate that they do not speak for the University.”
Dr. Zandria Robinson: “It is graduate school application season again and it has come to my attention—again—that some white students believe that students of color will simply get into graduate programs because they are racial or ethnic minorities,… DON’T YOU EVER LET ME HEAR TELL OF YOU PERPETUATING THESE RACIST LIES AGAIN. NOT EVEN IN YOUR HEAD. NOT EVEN IN JEST…Because if you do I will come for you. And I will do so in public.”
It’s not clear how Dr. Robinson imagined she would be “hearing tell” of white students “PERPETUATING THESE RACIST LIES” in their heads, but her disrespect for the “opinions of others” is on clear display. If she wasn’t fired for her threat to “come after” her white students, she probably should have been.
July 1, 2015 at 7:30 am
R Solomon
Based on the context provided by the article, the phrase, “whiteness is terrorism,” is, at minimum, a hasty generalisation and at most, clear racism. This idea follows an argument in the book A History of White People but is also similar to a song from the 70’s, “Black is beautiful, brown is sweet, white ain’t nothing but honky meat.”
The need to shame in these types of statements is not reflective of someone I would trust as a teacher or colleague. The racial construct of white, black, yellow, brown, and red is a relic of the 19th century as is the academic acceptability of such statements as the professor made.
Pride and shame walk hand in hand, and it is the height of arrogance to use shame to feed pride while in a position of responsibility-this leads toword demagoguery and away from discourse.
July 1, 2015 at 9:34 pm
Another Alum
She resigned in May and accepted a teaching position across town at Rhodes College. A small, liberal, liberal arts college of some renown.
Her leaving the U of Memphis May have been encouraged due to previous controversial public social media posts but it had nothing to do with her recent comments which came after well after her resignation. It always helps when extremist eliminate themselves from the equation as Ms. Robinson has done. Too bad. From all reports she is an intelligent and talented educator who could be very impactful and influential.
Mr. Johnston, your reporting here is error laden, you misrepresent the universities response, and your parting shot of how the U of Memphis treats alums appears to not be one of your finer moments. My suggestion is investigate first and then write. Don’t accept drivel as fact.
Dr. Robinson has become reckless with her unfiltered social media rants. Threats, in jest or serious are unbecoming of a professional educator and she appears to be playing to the masses rather than fostering serious conversations about important social conflicts.
Students should be activists but activism should spring from revealing truth not trumped-up stories that challenge credibility.
And to bbout, As a resident I do not have fear of racial uprisings by any group.
July 3, 2015 at 7:36 am
Angus Johnston
AA, I regret the original headline of this piece, and my initial tweets about this story. I was told about the incident by a trusted colleague who was under the impression that Robinson had been fired, and I took that characterization as fact. That’s not how I typically do things here, and this is why.
However, the body of this post included the phrase “apparently” in discussing the supposed firing even in its initial version, and I amended both post and title shortly after it was written. I don’t think I misrepresented the university’s response at any time, and have continued to update the post as new information came to light — if there are any errors in the piece as it stands, please let me know.
July 3, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Sasquatch
Hmmm…with her being a Sociology professor one would think she would recognize her own bias and oppositional thinking as described by Ogbu in his work on race and success etc.
July 3, 2015 at 8:36 pm
Reflective Thinking
do you know what whiteness is? do you know why racial categories were invented? do you know why whiteness was invented? if you know the answer to these questions then her statement makes perfect sense. saying whiteness is terrorism does not mean all white people are terrorists. whiteness is a racial category historically used to dominate and oppress…what do you call that? i call it terrorism.
July 8, 2015 at 7:35 am
Tranqui
Thank you, Reflective Thinking, for clarifying that what Robinson means as “whiteness” does not mean “all white people”. Her statements make a lot more sense now.