‘highly disruptive and damaging’

Several historically Black colleges and universities have received bomb threats for the second consecutive day, and at least the third time in the past month. 

On Tuesday, Howard University said it had lifted a shelter-in-place directive after an investigation into a bomb threat made earlier that morning. A number of other historically Black colleges and universities also said they received bomb threats on Tuesday, including Morgan State University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Kentucky State University, and Alcorn State University. 

“I’m hopeful that these bomb threats to our National Treasure, and to many of our other sister HBCU institutions, will be aggressively investigated by the FBI,” Morgan State University President David Wilson said. 

This was the second day in a row that multiple historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats. On Monday, Howard University, Southern University and A&M, Bethune-Cookman University, Albany State University, Bowie State University, and Delaware State University all reported receiving bomb threats, CNN reports. That, CNN noted, was already the second time in January this had happened, as on Jan. 5, at least eight historically Black colleges and universities evacuated students after receiving bomb threats, The Washington Post reported. The FBI is investigating the situation, according to CBS News. 

Howard University said Monday that while the bomb threats “have not yielded any credible danger to our, or any other community,” they “have become a drain on institutional and municipal resources and an unnecessary mental burden on individuals trying to learn and work on our campus.” Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said he was monitoring the “terrifying” situation, writing, “My prayers are with the students, teachers, staff and law enforcement during this time.” Janai Nelson of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund also called for the Department of Justice to prioritize “ending the repeated targeting of Black spaces and terrorization of its occupants,” adding, “These recurring threats to HBCUs are highly disruptive and damaging.”