‘This is terrorism, and it must stop’: Historic Black college receives two bomb threats within 48 hours

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For the second time within 48 hours, students at Howard University were forced to evacuate the Washington DC campus following a bomb threat, the latest in a wave of threats facing historically Black institutions in recent months.

A threat to the school was reported at 2.30am on Friday targeting the east and west towers on the university’s main campus, according to a university statement.

Washington DC’s Metropolitan Police Department and campus police evacuated students and cleared the buildings by 5.30am.

On Tuesday, another university building was evacuated after “a male called in a bomb threat” around 10.50pm that night, accortding to police.

“For the second time in 48 hours, students have had to evacuate residence halls during the late hours of a school night,” university president Wayne Frederick wrote in a letter to Howard staff and students. “People who love and care about them, parents, university employees, alumni, and so many others, have had to wrestle with anxiety about the veracity of another terroristic act. … This is terrorism, and it must stop.”

The latest incident marks the eighth time since January that the university has endured similar threats, among a pattern of violent threats to students and staff at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) across the US.

At least 57 historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats between 4 January and 16 February, and more than a dozens campuses were targeted on 1 February, the first day of Black History Month, according to the FBI.

The White House condemned the string of threats as “disturbing” earlier this year; Vice President Kamala Harris, a graduate of Howard University, said in a statement at the time that “every American should be able to learn, work, worship and gather without fear.”

“It is our duty to do everything we can to protect all our communities. A harm against any one of our communities is a harm against all of us,” she said.

Black university leaders and students also testified to the House Oversight and Reform Committee earlier this year, warning that racist threats of violence have caused waves of stress and paranoia among students and faculty, underscoring the need for safer campuses and addressing mental health needs.

Emmanuel Ukot, student association president at Xavier University in New Orleans, urged lawmakers and federal authorities help fund better safety measures at their campuses.

“Racially charged acts like the bomb threats are not only an attack to our campus, but they are an attack on the ideals and values of HBCUs and their collective mission,” he said.

In March, the White House also announced short-term federal funding to assist HBCU campuses recover from threats of violence and “assist in restoring a safe environment conducive to learning.”

Federal law enforcement and education and health agencies also are providing a “compendium of resources” for “long-term improvements to campus mental health programs, campus safety, and emergency management planning and response.”

In his letter to Howard students and staff, Mr Frederick said “we must continue the effort to make our great response to the failed intimidation of these threats even better.”

He said he will speak with law enforcement agencies “to ensure that the gravity of this situation is elevated and prioritized.”

“I want to be clear about the university’s position on the narrative of these threats. This isn’t about resilience and grit,” he said. “We require extra resources from all law enforcement agencies directed towards solving this ongoing threat and bringing those who perpetrate its negative effects to full justice under the law.”