At the end of last week, U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., the chairwoman of the U.S. House Higher Education and Workforce Investment Subcommittee, delivered a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland calling for the full investigation of recent threats made against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Ten other congressional Democrats signed the letter including U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Joe Courtney of Connecticut and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
“In less than a month, more than one dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities have received alarming threats to the safety of their students, staffs, and campus communities and while social media posts condemning the perpetrators are necessary, they are not enough. The United States Justice Department must use the full force of the federal government to swiftly investigate threats made and bring those who made them to justice,” Wilson said on Friday.
“I commend my colleagues who have joined in signing this letter for their commitment to our nation’s HBCUs and the students they serve,” continued Wilson. “Far too often, the concerns and priorities of our HBCUs, some of America’s most historic institutions, do not receive the level of attention they deserve. This letter serves as a reminder to HBCUs and students that we value not only their contributions to our country, but their overall safety, and delivers a strong message to perpetrators that any threat to the wellbeing of students will not be tolerated.”
Edward Waters University (EWU) in Jacksonville and Bethune Cookman University (BCU) had classes disrupted last week due to the threats.
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