University with majority Black students in US receives two bomb threats in 48 hours
A university in Washington DC that has been historically populated by Back students has received two bomb threats in 48 hours, the latest in a series of “racially charged acts” against the institution.
Students on Howard University’s Washington DC campus had to evacuate the dormitories for the second time on Friday morning due to a bomb threat, according to the university president, Wayne Frederick, who called the threats “terrorism.”
“For the second time in 48 hours, students have had to evacuate residence halls during the late hours of a school night,” Frederick said in a statement. “This is terrorism, and it must stop.”
Police arrived at the scene to carry out the evacuations and a search, using animals and mechanical explosive finding resources. No explosives were found, but an investigation continued in order to locate the caller who had made the threat.
Frederick said law enforcement needed to offer more support for historically Black colleges and universities [HBCUs]. “This isn’t about resilience and grit. 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,” the university president said.
According to Frank Tramble, Howard’s chief communications officer, it was the eighth bomb threat against the university since January.
Representatives from HBCUs, including Howard, Xavier University, and Jackson State University, testified at the US House Oversight and Reform Committee about the bomb threats in March.
“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,” Xavier Student Association President Emmanuel Ukot said at the hearing back then.
Racism and racial profiling targeting African-Americans are endemic in the United States. According to US Justice Department statistics, Black people have been more than twice as likely as white people to experience threats or uses of force during police encounters, and three times more likely to be jailed if arrested. In 2020, they were 93 percent more likely to be victims of hate crime.
In April, an annual report by the National Urban League on the state of Black America revealed that the quality of life for Black people continued to slip compared to whites.
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