The House voted unanimously Tuesday to condemn bomb threats against historically black colleges and universities.
In a resolution passed 418-0, lawmakers reaffirmed support for HBCUs after more than two dozen campuses were threatened earlier this year, forcing thousands of students to shelter in place until university grounds had been swept.
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“We join today in unanimity in rejecting hate, rejecting bigotry, rejecting threats based upon the color of skin or any other attribute,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said ahead of the vote.
Historically black colleges have received more than 30 bomb threats since January, at least 18 of which occurred on Feb. 1, the first day of Black History Month.
The FBI, which is investigating the threats as hate crimes, has identified six juveniles as persons of interest.
“Although at this time no explosive devices have been found at any of the locations, the FBI takes all threats with the utmost seriousness, and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats,” the FBI said on Feb. 2.
The House resolution comes five days after the Senate condemned the bomb threats and one day after Congress sent a bipartisan anti-lynching bill to President Joe Biden’s desk.
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Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin described the bomb threats as part of a broader rise in hate crimes, including the January hostage situation at a Texas synagogue and an attack in 2020 on an Asian family at a Sam’s Club.
“The list goes on and on and on,” he said in a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on hate crimes Tuesday. “This much is clear: No community in America is immune from violent acts of hate, and Congress cannot ignore the appalling rise in hate incidents we’ve seen recently.”
The number of hate crimes reported to the FBI rose 13% in 2020, according to the agency’s most recent data, with 8,263 criminal incidents recorded, compared to 7,314 in 2019.
