In Illinois, professors at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago are facing terrifying threats simply because their names appear on a politically motivated online “Professor Watchlist.” Created by Turning Point USA, this site collects professors’ names, photos, and even departmental contact information, branding them with labels like “anti-First Amendment” or “racial ideologue.” The result has been a wave of harassment and violence-threatening messages against educators whose only “crime” is teaching and writing with honesty.

Northwestern sociology professor Laura Beth Nielsen began receiving up to 15 hateful letters and emails a day after her name was posted—one message explicitly threatened to rape her in front of her children. At the University of Chicago, professor Eman Abdelhadi has endured years of anonymous death threats. Since the killing of Turning Point’s founder Charlie Kirk earlier this month, the hate has escalated. Abdelhadi has been forced to lock down her personal information, hire a data-scrubbing service, and even write a will at the age of 36.

Experts on political violence warn that publishing lists of individuals through a partisan lens turns them into targets. The threats these Chicago-area educators are facing are not abstract. They are daily, personal, and dangerous. Faculty who should be focused on teaching students and advancing knowledge are instead preparing their families for the possibility of violence.

This is unacceptable. Academic freedom means nothing if professors fear for their lives. No educator should have to choose between doing their job and protecting their safety.

We demand immediate action. The U.S. Department of Justice must investigate Turning Point USA’s “Professor Watchlist” for endangering educators. The Federal Trade Commission must examine whether compiling and promoting this information qualifies as an unfair practice that fuels harassment. And the Illinois congressional delegation—led by Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth—must use their oversight power to shut down this dangerous online tool of intimidation.

If we fail to act, more professors could be harmed. If we succeed, we send a powerful message: Chicago stands with its educators.

Add your name to demand urgent federal action to stop this online hit list before more lives are put in danger.

[Photo Credit: Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times]