Five historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Mississippi received bomb threats Tuesday morning, resulting in a series of lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders.
Jackson State University and Tougaloo College in Jackson, Alcorn State University in Lorman, Rust College in Holly Springs and Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena were among the institutions that received threats.
All five Mississippi campuses subsequently issued all-clear alerts, saying the threats were not deemed credible. The colleges and universities said normal campus operations with increased law enforcement would resume on Feb. 2.
The FBI has identified six persons around the country, all juveniles, who are suspected of making the calls.
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, said he has “engaged with the FBI and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) about these threats to HBCUs” and is “committed to working with HBCU leaders to get them the answers they deserve.”
“The spate of bomb threats against historically Black colleges and universities in recent days is incredibly disturbing and disheartening,” Thompson said. “These bomb threats against HBCUs deserve a full investigation, particularly given the dynamic terrorism threat landscape.”
Many of these threats came on the first day of Black History Month, a fact that has been mentioned by students, parents and alumni on social media. Mississippi Today reported a comment made by the President of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education calling the bomb threats “one of the clearest examples of hate crimes based on race.”
Speaking of the bomb threats against HBCUs, Mississippi State Rep. Zakiya Summers said in a tweet, “This is extremely unsettling. I hope the authorities find whomever is responsible for these dangerous attacks.”
Although this is the first report of Mississippi HBCUs receiving these threats, at least eight HBCUs reported bomb threats earlier this year: Spelman College, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Florida Memorial University, Howard University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University, Prairie View A&M University and Xavier University.
Other HBCUs across the country have also received bomb threats over the past two days: Coppin State University and Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland; Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky; Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia; Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia; Howard University in Washington, D.C.; Xavier University in New Orleans; the University of the District of Columbia, Van Ness campus; and Edward Waters University in Jacksonville, Florida.
All clear alerts: Jackson State, Rust College, Mississippi Valley State, Tougaloo, Alcorn.
