Black History Month has seen a barrage of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) bomb threats and online racist hacking attacks disturbing events centering on Black culture and history.
The Missouri Black Legislative Cause released a statement Tuesday condemning racist incidents against Black students on various college campuses in the state.
“Since the beginning of the month, we have seen several racist incidents against Black students across the state of Missouri. On February 1, Harris-Stowe State University was one of several (HBCUs) across the country targeted with bomb threats,” Caucus Chair Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, said in a statement.
“On February 8, a virtual panel on Black-owned businesses hosted by Rockhurst University was hacked and invaded by people yelling racial slurs and obscenities and displaying child porn. The MLBC fully condemns these racist incidents against Black Missouri students who have become the target of hatemongers and bigots during Black History Month.
“We must rise above those who would attack our community and culture amidst a month of celebration and reflection, and work to end the enduring discrimination Black students across the state continue to face.”
More than 500 people, including Rockhurst students, faculty, and community members, rallied the day after the hack.
Thomas B. Curran, Rockhurst University president, said in a letter to students. “There is no place in our society, in our community, or on our Rockhurst University campus for such unspeakable acts of hate.”
Three separate law enforcement agencies have opened investigations into the virtual attack, including the FBI, the university reports.
A St. Louis County Department of Public Health virtual conference “Legacy Stories from Descendants of the Tuskegee Experiment” was racially attacked in similar fashion on Feb. 11.
The discussion was part of a Black History Month initiative to bring awareness to the history of the Tuskegee experiment and address vaccination hesitancy among African Americans.
“Today the St. Louis County Department of Public Health was the target of a malicious online attack that forced us to prematurely end a virtual panel discussion on COVID-19 vaccinations and the African American community. We regret that this attack prevented the public from hearing crucial information, including commentary from descendants of victims of the Tuskegee Study who were prepared to discuss why vaccinations are so important.”
HBCU bomb threats
Howard University in Washington, D.C. received its fourth bomb threat in three weeks on Monday, and the rash of telephone terrorism also returned to Fayetteville State University and Clafin University in South Carolina.
St. Louis County NAACP President John Bowman said the bomb threats bring back haunting memories of bombings in Black communities during the civil rights era.
“Many times, it was one of the tactics used to oppress Black people,” Bowman said.
“Unfortunately, these threats and actions seem to be really heightened due to the rhetoric and divisiveness of some of our previous leaders, and they have continued to work to create this division among racial lines.”
FBI investigations are underway as the bomb threats continue.
“The FBI takes all threats seriously, and we are committed to thoroughly and aggressively investigating these threats. We would like to remind members of the public that if they observe anything suspicious or have information about potential threats to report it to law enforcement immediately, call 1-800-CALL FBI or submit a tip to tips.fbi.gov,” FBI spokesperson Shelley Lynch said.
Manlove offered a reminder that racist incidents her and across the nation are nothing new.
“In the past, we have seen Black students at Missouri colleges and universities face racial abuse from cotton balls being scattered at Mizzou’s Black Culture Center to nooses on campuses,” she said.
