Historically black colleges and universities that have recently received bomb threats will be eligible to receive grant money to improve campus security, the White House said Wednesday.
The grants, which can range from $50,000 to $150,000 depending on the schools’ needs, will be disbursed through the Department of Education’s Project School Emergency Response to Violence, which provides funding to colleges that have experienced violent or traumatic incidents.
“While, thankfully, no explosive devices were found on any of these campuses, significant and lasting damage has been done by threatening the safety and security of the students, faculty, and staff at these institutions,” the White House said in a statement. “As a result of these threats, learning has been disrupted, critical resources have been diverted to emergency response, and there has been an increased burden on already overwhelmed campus mental health systems.”
HOUSE CONDEMNS BOMB THREATS AGAINST HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES
About one-third of the country’s HBCUs have been targeted by bomb threats over the last three months, prompting concerns within the Biden administration and Congress to ensure the safety of students. The House unanimously passed a resolution last week condemning the attacks against more than two dozen campuses that forced students to shelter in place.
In addition to the short-term grants being offered, the Biden administration will also provide resources through the Education, Health and Human Services, Justice, and Homeland Security departments to implement long-term security improvements. This includes an increase in mental health programs, general campus safety, and emergency planning and response.
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Amid the recent rise in threats toward HBCUs, the White House underscored the importance of viewing the events with a historical lens, arguing they reflect attacks from the civil rights era.
“It is important to view these recent and repeated threats through both the lens of the present day as well as our country’s history. HBCUs were founded to educate Black people in an America that refused to accept them as full human beings,” the White House said. “The bomb threats that we witnessed … are reminiscent of the attempts during the Civil Rights Era to intimidate and provoke fear in Black Americans.”
The Department of Education will coordinate with the HBCUs that received bomb threats to determine how much funding each college needs to remedy its “immediate needs.”
