AAUP President Condemns HBCU Bomb Threats

Statement from AAUP president Irene Mulvey

Bomb threats frighten people, intimidate communities, and disrupt daily life with the threat of violence. When a bomb threat is made at one of our historically Black colleges and universities, it becomes the latest entry in a long and shameful history of incidents of violence and racial terror that have resulted in the systemic and persistent racial inequity we see in US society today. The AAUP condemns the racial terrorism perpetuated by the numerous bomb threats at over a dozen HBCUs in the last several weeks.

Fear and intimidation have no place on a college campus, and this is especially true when it comes to our faculty colleagues and the students, administration, and staff at America’s HBCUs. We are inspired by their resilience but acknowledge the heavy burden that comes with being targeted routinely because of your race. The AAUP will continue to work towards dismantling systemic and institutional racism in our own organization and in higher education. We stand in solidarity with our HBCU colleagues in demanding and working toward a more just society, and in celebrating Black excellence all year long.