AMERIKA
Tarrant County judge, conservative activists want TCU professor fired over anarchist rhetoric
From Fort Worth Report by Cecilia Lenzen and Shomial Ahmad
As Texas Christian University gears up for its first week of the fall semester, one professor is attracting attention from a growing number of Tarrant County conservatives, including elected officials.
Alexandra Edwards, an English instructor in the university’s AddRan College of Liberal Arts, is under fire for her posts on social media, where she often writes about anarchism, anti-racism, white supremacy and Christian nationalism. A self-proclaimed anarchist, Edwards, 39, is entering her fourth year of teaching at TCU.
“I am a target for harassment because I’m an anti-fascist,” Edwards said. “People have sought out instances of me expressing ideas that they find objectionable, like being a police abolitionist.”
Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare, County Commissioner Manny Ramirez and conservative activists across the county have criticized Edwards’ stance on issues such as police funding and regulation. Several, including O’Hare, are calling for TCU to fire Edwards.
The university did not answer questions about whether administrators are considering terminating or disciplining Edwards.
“Professors within our community often express expertise and opinions that are specific to them and do not necessarily align with the overall position of the university on any given issue,” a TCU spokesperson said in a written statement to the Report.
Conservatives decry professor’s social media posts
The scrutiny over Edwards’ social media began when Carlos Turcios, director of the conservative activist group Texas Latinos United for Conservative Action, called Edwards out on X. Turcios is also a staff writer for The Dallas Express, a conservative news site backed by Republican billionaires and run by Chris Putnam, a former Colleyville City Council member and congressional candidate.
“Meet Alexandra Edwards who is an instructor at Texas Christian University,” Turcios wrote in a post accompanied by screenshots of Edwards’ posts. “Edwards has promoted anti-police rhetoric and anarchism. Edwards has also argued that law enforcement is racist.”
Turcios did not return the Report’s request for comment.
In a statement to The Dallas Express, O’Hare defended police in Tarrant County, saying “we will always maintain law and order here.”
“Those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe on a daily basis deserve our deepest appreciation. TCU should show this radical the door immediately,” O’Hare said.
When contacted by the Report, O’Hare’s spokesperson said via email, “O’Hare has not retracted his statement to The Dallas Express, nor does he intend to.” The spokesperson included a screenshot of an April 2021 post from Edwards that said, “y’all we have really got to abolish the police, this s— is deranged.”
Ramirez also commented to The Dallas Express, saying, “As a veteran police officer and alumni of Texas Christian University, I am deeply troubled by reports that a university employee would openly espouse dangerous anti-law enforcement rhetoric.”
The commissioner — who served more than 15 years with the Fort Worth Police Department as an officer, detective and sergeant — said in a written statement to the Report that he believes faculty’s online activity should be monitored and governed, “especially when such activity would reflect poorly on the university.” Ramirez earned a master’s degree in business administration from TCU in 2018.
“It is my hope that this employee has been counseled as to why derogatory or discriminatory language toward any group can erode public trust in our institutions,” Ramirez told the Report. “University professors carry significant influence over the views and beliefs of our next generation of community members. It is concerning to see someone in such an important position espouse derogatory and inflammatory rhetoric about those who protect and serve our communities.”
Following Turcios’ posts, other high-profile conservative figures chimed in on X. Kelly Neidert, a University of North Texas graduate who has protested drag shows across the state, posted that TCU students are “receiving an extremely low quality education” from Edwards.
“Apparently @TCU is hiring far-Left Antifa activists as English professors now,” Neidert wrote. “Don’t send your kids to this school thinking it’s actually Christian and conservative — it’s not.”
True Texas Project, a Tarrant County-based conservative activist group; Libs of TikTok, a prominent far-right and anti-LGBTQ social media account with 3.3 million X followers; and the white supremacist account Texas Nationalist Network have also publicly commented on Edwards and her posts while calling on TCU to take action against her.
Professor’s views supported under academic freedom, experts say
Edwards, who is not tenured at TCU, said they have incorporated anarchist theory into their curriculum throughout their time at the university and also taught a class dedicated to anarchist nonfiction. The university’s website lists “anti-racist and anarchist pedagogy” as Edwards’ areas of focus on their faculty profile.
“Anti-racism is just something that informs my pedagogy, rather than something I teach,” Edwards said. “It’s more about the choices I make for syllabi and how I approach being in the classroom and giving assignments and grading.”
Edwards said she doesn’t believe she has violated her contract with the university, which states that she must perform her duties as a professor in “ways appropriate to a professional assignment.”
“Appointee agrees that his/her conduct shall be in accordance with the ideals, principles, rules and regulations of the University as stated in the current Faculty Handbook, which may be amended annually,” states the contract, which the Report obtained.
TCU’s Faculty Handbook recognizes the principles of academic freedom, where they have freedom in teaching, research and expression, as it relates to the subject matter. The handbook goes further, stating that faculty — when they speak for themselves outside of the university and not for the institution — “should be free from institutional censorship or discipline.” It does state that faculty at all times should exercise appropriate restraint, show respect for the opinions of others and make every effort to indicate that they are not speaking for the institution.
Anita Levy, a senior program officer at the American Association of University Professors, said political interference in higher education has reached “an alarming level,” with increased scrutiny since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war last October. The group defines professional values and standards for higher education, including academic freedom.
“Academic freedom is what protects the search for knowledge and the exchange of ideas,” Levy said.
She added that academic freedom, as the group defines it, is not only limited to inside the university gates but for free expression in general.
“Without the protections of academic freedom and due process that comes along with that, faculty members may not feel as if they can teach their discipline to the fullest extent. They may self-censor,” Levy said. “They may change what they teach, especially in the heightened climate of political interference that we’re dealing with today.”
David Keating, president of the national nonprofit Institute for Free Speech, said O’Hare and Ramirez have a right to free speech even as elected officials and are well within that right to call for her termination. However, he questioned whether such commentary was appropriate.
“They have a First Amendment right to say, ‘I think you ought to get rid of that person,’” Keating said. “Whether they should be doing stuff like that, I don’t think it’s a good idea. I think they should butt out of it.”
TCU not taking action, professor plans to lay low
Haley Gluhanich, senior program officer for campus rights advocacy with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said the First Amendment right to free speech would not protect Edwards if TCU wanted to terminate her over the controversy.
“The First Amendment only applies, in the university context, to public universities and colleges,” Gluhanich said. “It does not apply to private universities and colleges, and so TCU, being private, technically does not have to abide by the First Amendment.”
However, she noted that TCU highlights values such as “intellectual inquiry” and “creative expression” with a commitment to the “highest standards of academic inquiry” on its website. The university also says it recognizes the value of fostering discourse and encouraging a free exchange of ideas. It states that the university “firmly supports” all of its community members expressing their views and protesting against actions and opinions they disagree with.
“If TCU was fully committed to the free speech rights that they’re saying they’re committed to, those principles should protect (Edwards) speaking on these matters,” Gluhanich said.
If university administration wants to uphold that commitment, Gluhanich said, it should either publicly reiterate its support of free speech principles or remain silent on the matter. She advised against the administration investigating the matter or meeting with Edwards to discuss the backlash, which could intimidate Edwards into silence.
Amy Peterson, assistant director of social and multimedia strategy in TCU’s Office of Communications and Marketing, emailed Edwards on Aug. 8 to notify her of a “negative post” on X and share the university’s suggestions on what to do when a faculty member is targeted on social media.
“In these situations, our priority is ensuring you feel safe and have access to resources,” Peterson wrote to Edwards.
As Edwards prepares to start the semester next week, the professor is concerned about personal safety. But for now, they are going to focus on staying safe and continuing their research. Edwards doesn’t plan to change their views, but they hope those who don’t agree can choose to ignore them.
“What I’m hoping is that, in the future, our elected officials like Ramirez and O’Hare will exercise more caution in choosing what they publicly issue statements on because not everyone who reaches out for a quote is worth responding to,” Edwards said.