Hampton University and Southern University were among at least six historically Black colleges and universities that went into lockdown Thursday (September 11) after receiving threats deemed hoaxes by the FBI, reigniting concerns over the safety of Black academic institutions.
The affected schools included Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Clark Atlanta University, and Bethune-Cookman University.
Spelman College also issued a shelter-in-place order due to its location near Clark Atlanta. The FBI confirmed it was investigating the threats but said no credible danger had been found.
“The FBI is aware of hoax threat calls to a number of historically Black colleges and universities,” the agency said in a statement. “The FBI takes these threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk.”
Despite the absence of confirmed danger, schools reacted swiftly.
Hampton University canceled all nonessential operations and sports events through Friday. Virginia State University announced on Facebook that “out of an abundance of caution, VSU remains on lockdown.”
Southern University locked down its entire Baton Rouge campus, including its law school, and advised students and staff to “shelter in place until further notice.”
The university later lifted the lockdown but canceled all activities for the remainder of the weekend. Clark Atlanta University and Bethune-Cookman University also activated emergency protocols, citing safety concerns.
The Congressional Black Caucus issued a sharp rebuke of the threats, calling them “vile” and “a chilling reminder of the relentless racism and extremism that continues to target and terrorize Black communities in this country.”
The group demanded that the FBI and Department of Justice “act swiftly to fully investigate these threats and pursue the appropriate legal action against those responsible.”
Civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton also weighed in, referencing the recent shooting of conservative speaker Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
“We have seen too much violence on our campuses, whether it was the brazen murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday or the threats against these HBCUs today,” Sharpton said. “Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate in a way that’s respectful, engaging, and productive. What we have seen the last two days is anything but that.”
This week’s threats mirror a disturbing pattern from 2022, when 49 HBCUs received bomb threats, some repeatedly. The FBI later identified a juvenile as the source of most of those racially motivated hoaxes.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that those threats triggered federal hate crime investigations.
Officials have not linked Thursday’s threats to the Utah incident. As of Thursday evening, all lockdowns had been lifted, but several campuses remain on alert.