‘This is terrorism’: Howard University forced to evacuate after two bomb threats within 48 hours

Students at Howard University were forced to evacuate their dormitories for the second time in 48 hours early Friday morning following news of a bomb threat on the institution.

Howard University President Wayne Frederick announced to the public in a letter on Friday that the school had received two bomb threats within 48 hours on the east and west towers of the university.

The president decried the bomb threats as “terrorism,” adding that this was the eighth bomb threat the school has endured this year alone. The university head also commended the students for their “understanding” during the time of difficulty.

“For the second time in 48 hours, students have had to evacuate residence halls during the late hours of a school night,” he wrote. “This is terrorism, and it must stop.”

These threats are the latest in a pattern of threats students, faculty and staff have endured at HBCUs throughout the country.

Representatives from Howard, Xavier University and Jackson State University testified concerning the bomb threats in front of the House Oversight and Reform Committee 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 [historically Black colleges and universities] and their collective mission,” said Xavier Student Association President Emmanuel Ukot at the hearing.

Frederick called for further law enforcement support of HBCUs in his letter on Friday, saying that he would speak with “as many law enforcement agencies and elected federal officials” as possible to “ensure that the gravity of this situation is elevated and prioritized.”

“This isn’t about resilience and grit,” he wrote. “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.”

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