Bicameral Education Committee Leaders Request DOJ Update on Recent HBCU Bomb Threats

Members: “Such acts of intimidation, which threaten both the safety and education of students enrolled at HBCUs, are of grave concern and we must work to protect these remarkable institutions and their students.”

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, leaders of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC), and the House Committee on Education and Labor Chairman Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Ranking Member Virginia Foxx (R-NC), sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting information on the disturbing trend of bomb threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

This week, as America marked the start of Black History Month, more than 12 HBCUs received bomb threats. In their letter, the members request a briefing to discuss the ongoing DOJ investigation efforts.

“For the last month, at least 17 of the nation’s 100 HBCUs have been forced to repeatedly lock down their campuses and shelter in place until law enforcement can investigate and assure the safety of students, staff, and the surrounding local communities,” wrote the members. “Such acts of intimidation, which threaten both the safety and education of students enrolled at HBCUs, are of grave concern and we must work to protect these remarkable institutions and their students.

“We ask that you provide a briefing to interested congressional offices to discuss the efforts the Department of Justice is taking to coordinate federal and local law enforcement efforts in the investigation of these ongoing threats as well as the direct support you are providing to all our nation’s HBCUs to keep their campuses and communities open and safe,” the members continued.

The full letter can be found HERE and below:         

Dear Attorney General Garland:

We write to you today at the beginning of Black History Month about the disturbing trend of bomb threats and violence against our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). For the last month, at least 17 of the nation’s 100 HBCUs have been forced to repeatedly lock down their campuses and shelter in place until law enforcement can investigate and assure the safety of students, staff, and the surrounding local communities. Such acts of intimidation, which threaten both the safety and education of students enrolled at HBCUs, are of grave concern and we must work to protect these remarkable institutions and their students.

We ask that you provide a briefing to interested congressional offices to discuss the efforts the Department of Justice is taking to coordinate federal and local law enforcement efforts in the investigation of these ongoing threats as well as the direct support you are providing to all our nation’s HBCUs to keep their campuses and communities open and safe. Please provide a response no later than Thursday, February 3.

Sincerely,

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