Who is Uju Anya and what is the controversy? Carnegie Mellon professor faces probe over social media posts

Carnegie Mellon University professor Dr Uju Anya is facing scrutiny over a series of old social media posts that have recently resurfaced online. The posts, which included comments about the deaths of public figures that went viral.

Dr Uju Anya is on voluntary leave as the school reviews her social media posts. (CMU)Carnegie Mellon has since said it is reviewing the matter and taking action, while Anya is on voluntary professional leave and is not teaching on campus this year.

According to the Carnegie Mellon University website, Uju Anya is a scholar who studies language learning and Black experiences in multilingual settings. Anya's research focuses on language learning and Black experiences in multilingual settings, with an emphasis on how race, gender, sexual and social class identities connect with language learning. As per the university website, her 2017 book, "Racialized Identities in Second Language Learning: Speaking Blackness in Brazil," examines how students build identities while using multiple languages, and was the first single-author sociolinguistic study to closely examine the African American experience in language learning. The book won the 2019 American Association for Applied Linguistics First Book Award.

And as per reports, Anya was born in Nigeria and has worked at Carnegie Mellon University since 2021.

As per NY Post, the controversy began when an old post of Anya's celebrating Rush Limbaugh's death went viral on Friday after Elon Musk called her out. She had written on February 17, 2021, the day Limbaugh died of lung cancer, “Rush Limbaugh finally did something positive in life by dropping dead. Good Riddance to bad rubbish.”

As per the Post, when a user asked her, "Weird how you only celebrate the deaths of white people. Why is that?" she responded, "Die first, white man, then ask yourself why I'm dancing."

Musk shared the post from her now-deleted account, writing, "This is a real professor at Carnegie Mellon University …" This led internet users to dig up and archive more of her past posts.

According to Fox News, Carnegie Mellon University said Monday it is taking "swift action" after finding that Anya's recent social media posts broke university community standards, with some colleagues saying they now fear for their safety. University President Farnam Jahanian and Provost James H. Garrett Jr. said in a statement that Anya used "expletives, racial slurs and derogatory language that demeaned, dehumanized and intimidated," while using her Carnegie Mellon affiliation and implying support from university colleagues."

Their statement read, “Carnegie Mellon University is a place where rigorous inquiry, freedom of expression and mutual respect must coexist. We take that responsibility seriously, and we strongly reject language that is hateful and disparages or calls for the harm of others. Such rhetoric is inconsistent with the dignity, respect and responsibility that we expect from one another”

The statement added, “Dr. Anya's choice of language violates our shared community standards and distracts from the seriousness and significance of CMU's scholarship in the humanities and social sciences.”

As per NY Post, Anya initially bragged that she was untouchable and taunted those threatening to report her to her employer. She wrote, “Carnegie Mellon University knows exactly who they have. They poached me from my previous job, aggressively recruiting me with a massive salary and stellar benefits. So baby, run tell them they f–ked up, and see if they pick up your call.”

She also claimed the university was ignoring complaints against her, writing, “Keep crying, loser. My department chair just texted me saying they're throwing all of your emails in the trash.”

As per Post, more posts surfaced, including one from August 2022, a month before Queen Elizabeth II's death where Anya wrote, “I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating.” And she also marked the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination by writing, “May he rot in piss,” calling him a "s–tbag," and sharing a video of students mocking him with a dance referencing his death.

Hours after Anya's posts went viral, Carnegie Mellon announced on its website that she “is currently on voluntary professional leave from the university and not teaching courses on our campus this year.”

The university added, "We are deeply concerned by recent hostile and threatening social media posts by Dr. Anya and are reviewing the matter closely," and stated, “To be clear: These posts incorrectly imply our university's endorsement and are contrary to our community standards and values as well as our commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and welcoming campus community.”

As per NY Post, before making her Instagram private, Anya described herself as a target, writing, “During an entire day of incessant violent threats, racist abuse, and harassment on Twitter- incited by fascist white supremacist MAGA trolls - I was doxxed. I reactivated my account to protect my family.”

Khushi Arora is a Content Producer at Hindustan Times, where she writes for the US Desk, covering everything happening in the United States, while maintaining quality and delivering impactful stories across all beats. She previously worked at Zee News for over a year where she explored multiple beats including News Desk, Education and Lifestyle. With a background in English Literature, Khushi blends sharp research with thoughtful storytelling, shaping stories that go beyond headlines and bring clarity and credibility to every piece she writes. Beyond the newsroom, she enjoys reading, watching cinema and loves having long conversations about books, films and everything in between.Read More