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A sign welcomes visitors to Howard University in Washington, D.C., on February 1, 2022. Authorities are investigating bomb threats made against Howard and several other historically Black colleges and universities. (Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
As the FBI announced Wednesday it had identified six persons of interest in connection with bomb threats at historically Black universities and colleges this week, progressives called on the federal government to thoroughly investigate the latest wave of threats against the institutions.
"We urge the Department of Justice to prioritize investigation of this sudden increase of bomb threats at HBCUs in multiple states, and the states' attorneys general in each state to investigate incidents within their state, looking for leads indicating coordination of these threats," said Alyssa Canty, director of youth programs at Common Cause.
According to the FBI, the six people who have been connected to the threats--which were received by at least 12 HBCUs on Tuesday and at least six on Monday in what the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "ominous start to Black History Month"--are believed to have had a "racist motivation."
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate."
On January 4, at least eight HBCUs were threatened. According to the Washington Post, more than two dozen historically Black schools have faced threats of violence in 2022 so far.
No bombs have been found at the schools following the most recent threats, which affected schools including Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Spelman College in Georgia; Xavier University in Louisiana, and Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Most of the threats were received in the middle of the night. Tougaloo College in Mississippi learned of the threat at 4:20 a.m. and shifted to virtual classes on Tuesday, while the University of the District of Columbia received a threat at 3:20 a.m. on the same day.
At least 17 universities were forced to evacuate, temporarily shut down, or conduct sweeps at their campuses, disrupting classes and disrupting student life.
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate," said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee, in a statement Wednesday. "They are designed to undermine the mission of HBCUs and to strike at the heart of the sense of pride they instill in the Black community."
Hewitt noted that the schools are being threatened "at a time of unprecedented attacks on racial justice in the modern era--with efforts to hide our country's history of racism by banning truthful curriculum from classrooms, schemes to limit the right to vote, and efforts overthrow democracy through racialized violence as we witnessed during the Capitol insurrection in 2021," as well as the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear challenges to affirmative action in higher education.
"These forces are all connected to the purpose of racism and white supremacy--to degrade, humiliate, and intimidate Black people at every possible turn, to the point where no place and no institution is safe," Hewitt said. "This is why we must continue to fight racism and why we must win. To beat back these forces of hate, we must stand together and condemn these actions."
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, echoed the call for racial and social justice advocates to "come together" to fight recent threats against Black Americans as well as the Jewish community.
\u201cSomething is really wrong in America when Nazis are marching openly in Florida, synagogues are being attacked, and HBCUs are facing bomb threats, just to name a few things. If they\u2019re cynical enough to be together, we must be smart enough to come together. #ForwardTogether\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1643738709
"The escalation of domestic terrorism specifically targeting people of color, and the dramatic rise in white supremacist hate groups since 2016, aren't new," said Canty of Common Cause. "They indicate a resurgence of the darkest parts of the American story, another reminder that when we work together toward a more perfect union, the hate born of the fear of a few stands no chance against the power of the people."
"While these threats are not new," she added, "they are serious and urgent for the danger they pose to human life and the life of our democracy."
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As the FBI announced Wednesday it had identified six persons of interest in connection with bomb threats at historically Black universities and colleges this week, progressives called on the federal government to thoroughly investigate the latest wave of threats against the institutions.
"We urge the Department of Justice to prioritize investigation of this sudden increase of bomb threats at HBCUs in multiple states, and the states' attorneys general in each state to investigate incidents within their state, looking for leads indicating coordination of these threats," said Alyssa Canty, director of youth programs at Common Cause.
According to the FBI, the six people who have been connected to the threats--which were received by at least 12 HBCUs on Tuesday and at least six on Monday in what the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "ominous start to Black History Month"--are believed to have had a "racist motivation."
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate."
On January 4, at least eight HBCUs were threatened. According to the Washington Post, more than two dozen historically Black schools have faced threats of violence in 2022 so far.
No bombs have been found at the schools following the most recent threats, which affected schools including Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Spelman College in Georgia; Xavier University in Louisiana, and Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Most of the threats were received in the middle of the night. Tougaloo College in Mississippi learned of the threat at 4:20 a.m. and shifted to virtual classes on Tuesday, while the University of the District of Columbia received a threat at 3:20 a.m. on the same day.
At least 17 universities were forced to evacuate, temporarily shut down, or conduct sweeps at their campuses, disrupting classes and disrupting student life.
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate," said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee, in a statement Wednesday. "They are designed to undermine the mission of HBCUs and to strike at the heart of the sense of pride they instill in the Black community."
Hewitt noted that the schools are being threatened "at a time of unprecedented attacks on racial justice in the modern era--with efforts to hide our country's history of racism by banning truthful curriculum from classrooms, schemes to limit the right to vote, and efforts overthrow democracy through racialized violence as we witnessed during the Capitol insurrection in 2021," as well as the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear challenges to affirmative action in higher education.
"These forces are all connected to the purpose of racism and white supremacy--to degrade, humiliate, and intimidate Black people at every possible turn, to the point where no place and no institution is safe," Hewitt said. "This is why we must continue to fight racism and why we must win. To beat back these forces of hate, we must stand together and condemn these actions."
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, echoed the call for racial and social justice advocates to "come together" to fight recent threats against Black Americans as well as the Jewish community.
\u201cSomething is really wrong in America when Nazis are marching openly in Florida, synagogues are being attacked, and HBCUs are facing bomb threats, just to name a few things. If they\u2019re cynical enough to be together, we must be smart enough to come together. #ForwardTogether\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1643738709
"The escalation of domestic terrorism specifically targeting people of color, and the dramatic rise in white supremacist hate groups since 2016, aren't new," said Canty of Common Cause. "They indicate a resurgence of the darkest parts of the American story, another reminder that when we work together toward a more perfect union, the hate born of the fear of a few stands no chance against the power of the people."
"While these threats are not new," she added, "they are serious and urgent for the danger they pose to human life and the life of our democracy."
As the FBI announced Wednesday it had identified six persons of interest in connection with bomb threats at historically Black universities and colleges this week, progressives called on the federal government to thoroughly investigate the latest wave of threats against the institutions.
"We urge the Department of Justice to prioritize investigation of this sudden increase of bomb threats at HBCUs in multiple states, and the states' attorneys general in each state to investigate incidents within their state, looking for leads indicating coordination of these threats," said Alyssa Canty, director of youth programs at Common Cause.
According to the FBI, the six people who have been connected to the threats--which were received by at least 12 HBCUs on Tuesday and at least six on Monday in what the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law called an "ominous start to Black History Month"--are believed to have had a "racist motivation."
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate."
On January 4, at least eight HBCUs were threatened. According to the Washington Post, more than two dozen historically Black schools have faced threats of violence in 2022 so far.
No bombs have been found at the schools following the most recent threats, which affected schools including Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Spelman College in Georgia; Xavier University in Louisiana, and Jackson State University in Mississippi.
Most of the threats were received in the middle of the night. Tougaloo College in Mississippi learned of the threat at 4:20 a.m. and shifted to virtual classes on Tuesday, while the University of the District of Columbia received a threat at 3:20 a.m. on the same day.
At least 17 universities were forced to evacuate, temporarily shut down, or conduct sweeps at their campuses, disrupting classes and disrupting student life.
"The bomb threats targeted at HBCUs are a fresh reminder of the ongoing threats to Black life and opportunity, and the continued presence of racist hate," said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee, in a statement Wednesday. "They are designed to undermine the mission of HBCUs and to strike at the heart of the sense of pride they instill in the Black community."
Hewitt noted that the schools are being threatened "at a time of unprecedented attacks on racial justice in the modern era--with efforts to hide our country's history of racism by banning truthful curriculum from classrooms, schemes to limit the right to vote, and efforts overthrow democracy through racialized violence as we witnessed during the Capitol insurrection in 2021," as well as the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to hear challenges to affirmative action in higher education.
"These forces are all connected to the purpose of racism and white supremacy--to degrade, humiliate, and intimidate Black people at every possible turn, to the point where no place and no institution is safe," Hewitt said. "This is why we must continue to fight racism and why we must win. To beat back these forces of hate, we must stand together and condemn these actions."
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People's Campaign, echoed the call for racial and social justice advocates to "come together" to fight recent threats against Black Americans as well as the Jewish community.
\u201cSomething is really wrong in America when Nazis are marching openly in Florida, synagogues are being attacked, and HBCUs are facing bomb threats, just to name a few things. If they\u2019re cynical enough to be together, we must be smart enough to come together. #ForwardTogether\u201d— Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (@Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II) 1643738709
"The escalation of domestic terrorism specifically targeting people of color, and the dramatic rise in white supremacist hate groups since 2016, aren't new," said Canty of Common Cause. "They indicate a resurgence of the darkest parts of the American story, another reminder that when we work together toward a more perfect union, the hate born of the fear of a few stands no chance against the power of the people."
"While these threats are not new," she added, "they are serious and urgent for the danger they pose to human life and the life of our democracy."
