Multiple HBCUs Lock Down Following Threats

On the morning of September 11, multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) implemented lockdowns in response to threats directed at their campuses. Alabama State University, Hampton University, Virginia State University, Southern University and A&M College, and Bethune-Cookman University each reported potential threats, prompting immediate security measures.

Spelman College in Atlanta advised students and faculty to avoid campus and increased security due to a threat against nearby Clark Atlanta University. Clark Atlanta University confirmed the threat and issued a shelter-in-place order.

Virginia State University issued an urgent alert at 8:30 a.m. ET, closing the campus and advising the community to check their emails. The university stated that campus police are "actively investigating the credibility of the threat received earlier today" in collaboration with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

Alabama State University reported receiving "terrorist threats" and suspended campus operations out of caution. The university emphasized its coordination with law enforcement to assess the situation and ensure the safety of the community.

Hampton University canceled classes for September 11 and 12, citing a potential threat and ceasing all non-essential activities immediately.

These incidents are part of a series of threats and violent acts targeting HBCUs in recent years. In 2022, over two dozen HBCUs across 12 states and Washington, D.C., received bomb threats, leading to a federal investigation into hate crimes and violent extremism. In 2023, a gunman was confronted at Edward Waters University in Florida before a shooting at a nearby store resulted in three fatalities. In 2024, a shooting at Tuskegee University in Alabama left one person dead and 16 injured.

Rev. Al Sharpton condemned the recent threats, stating, "We have seen too much violence on our campuses... Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate... What we have seen the last two days is anything but that."

This is a developing story.