Multiple HBCUs, including Alabama State University, Hampton University, Southern University and Virginia State University, were under lockdown due to “terroristic threats” on Thursday, according to USA Today.
At 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Virginia State shared an “urgent alert” via its Facebook page. “VSU Campus is closed today,” it read. “Students, faculty and staff check your VSU emails.”
A Virginia State representative said that the school received “a potential threat,” per local 8News. Students on campus are advised to stay indoors.
Alabama State also confirmed that it received “terrorist threats”: “We are working in close coordination with the appropriate law enforcement agencies to assess the situation and to ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, staff, and the broader ASU community,” the statement said.
Hampton University’s Sept. 11 and 12 classes were canceled. In a statement, the school stated that it has “received notice of a potential threat and has ceased all non-essential activity, effective immediately.”
The FBI called the threats against HBCUs a ‘hoax’
According to Fox 5 Atlanta, on Thursday, Spelman College said in a now-deleted post via its Instagram page that security has been increased across its campus. In a follow-up post, the HBCU confirmed that the shelter in place was lifted. Florida A&M University also locked down out of an abundance of caution. Meanwhile, Bethune-Cookman and Clark Atlanta University canceled classes.
“The FBI is aware of hoax threat calls to a number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” the FBI said in a statement. “The FBI takes these threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention.”
Representative and Democratic House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries called on the FBI to “not turn a blind eye when Black college students are apparently being viciously targeted.”
“Smh!!! Just itching for a reason to harm us huh?” one person commented under @Essenceofblackculture’s Instagram post about the matter.
“My daughter attends Southern University, and they are also on lockdown..🙏🏾” one woman wrote.
“When I found out he was dead, my thought was that HBCUs need extra protection right now. I knew they would be a target. This is terrifying,” another person added, referring to Charlie Kirk’s death.
“They want a race war so bad,” someone else chimed in.
The threats against HBCUs come after conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s death
Conservative talking head Charlie Kirk was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. It marked day one of Kirk’s The American Comeback Tour. Kirk, who co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012, hosted rallies across college campuses and was especially known for his “Prove Me Wrong” table.
President Donald Trump is blaming the “radical left” for Kirk’s death: “For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said in a video message on his Truth Social platform tonight. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”
As of Friday morning, officials have arrested and identified 22-year-old Utah resident Tyler Robinson. According to NBC News, he is expected to be charged with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm causing serious bodily injury and obstruction of justice.
Although there’s no ongoing threat to the Utah Valley University campus, it will remain closed until Monday, NBC News reported.
“All classes (in-person or virtual), campus events, and administrative operations will be suspended during this time,” UVU said in a statement.
