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VP Kamala Harris announces a program for HBCU funding following bomb threats

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

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Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Wednesday, March 16, an initiative to provide grants and resource guides for historically Black colleges and universities that have received bomb threats. The grants would award $50,000 to $150,000 to the eligible colleges that have been affected.

The Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program under the Department of Education will address immediate needs such as mental health resources and increasing campus security for colleges that have experienced a “violent or traumatic incident”. 

Harris explained to HBCU presidents and administration, state and federal law enforcement and faith leaders that hold history of receiving bomb threats that the Biden-Harris Administration is sending a “very clear message” and will not be intimidated. 

“We will do everything in our power to protect all our communities from violence and from hate,” said Harris.

The White House released a statement stating that the bomb threats is a dark part of American history.

“HBCUs were founded to educate Black people in an America that refused to accept them as full human beings and prevented them – because of racial discrimination – from attending other colleges,” the statement read. “Threats to the education and well-being of Black Americans and HBCUs are an unfortunate part of American history. The bomb threats that we witnessed in January, each week in February – Black History Month, and this month are reminiscent of the attempts during the Civil Rights Era to intimidate and provoke fear in Black Americans.”

Since January, HBCUs have been the target of bomb threats, causing more than one-third to have their campus disrupted by threats. According to the White House, HBCUs that have been affected include Howard University in Washington, D.C, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, Albany State University in Georgia, and Jackson State University in Mississippi. 

The Biden-Harris administration has awarded HBCUs $5.8 billion since last year.

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