Topline
At least eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities went into lockdown Thursday after receiving potential threats to their campuses or neighboring educational institutions, canceling classes and non-essential activities as authorities investigate the threats’ validity.
Morehouse issued a shelter-in-place order Thursday. (Photo By Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Key Facts
Schools placed under lockdowns or shelter-in-place orders included Morehouse College, Virginia State University, Hampton University, Alabama State University, Bethune-Cookman University, Southern University, Clark Atlanta University and Spelman College, according to statements made by the institutions, which are located across five states.
Southern University, Alabama State University and Virginia State University lifted their lockdowns as of Thursday afternoon, though classes remain canceled at all three schools.
Virginia State University said in a statement at 12:29 p.m. EDT its campus was on lockdown after receiving a threat early Thursday morning, cancelling all afternoon classes and extracurriculars as additional security personnel monitor campus and VSU-run off-campus housing.
Spelman College issued a shelter-in-place order for faculty, staff and students, citing threats received by other HBCUs like Clark Atlanta University (Spelman, CAU and Morehouse are direct neighbors and part of the Atlanta University Center Consortium).
Hampton University canceled all non-essential activity on campus from Thursday to Friday, noting the addition of “enhanced security measures.”
The HBCUs did not specify the nature of the threats in their statements.
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What Are Lawmakers Saying About The Threats?
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, said in a tweet she was unaware why the HBCUs were targeted by threats and her “heart aches for the constant trauma that students consistently experience simply because some lack the courage to do better!” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., also tweeted about the lockdowns, saying, “left or right, let us speak out against this violence and seek to heal with peace & grace.”
Big Number
32,233. That is roughly the number of students attending the eight HBCUs involved in Thursday’s lockdowns.
Tangent
The Democratic National Headquarters received a bomb threat Thursday, prompting a sweep of the building. A DNC spokesperson later told multiple outlets the threat was non-credible.
Key Background
The threats were issued a day after Kirk was shot and killed during a Utah Valley University event Thursday. The incident marked the 46th school shooting of the year in the U.S. and is still under investigation. Authorities have yet to detain the person of interest in the shooting, with Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason saying the suspected shooter appeared “of college age” and “blended in well with the institution.” The first photos of the person of interest were released Thursday at noon, showing a person in primarily black clothing wearing a t-shirt with an American flag, a hat, and sunglasses. The HBCU threats also came on the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the most deadly terrorist attack in U.S. history that killed nearly 3,000 people.
Further Reading
Charlie Kirk Shooting: Photo Of Person Of Interest Released (Live Updates) (Forbes)
