NASW Metro DC Chapter Statement on August 2022 Bomb Threats to Howard University, Any Historically Black College and University

NASW Metro DC is urging law enforcement to prioritize the search for those individuals or groups responsible for two bomb threats against Howard University in its first week back to classes. The threats clearly aim to intimidate and frighten students and employees, especially those who are BIPOC and including those who attend the School of Social Work.

Our chapter called for further investigations last semester when Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) throughout DC, Virginia, and across the country received ongoing bomb threats and were forced to either postpone, evacuate, or shut down classes and dorms.

No arrests have been made in any of the DC cases, a fact that frustrates students, university and college employees, and ally organizations such as ours that support the right to higher education without harassment or harm.

We continue to stand in solidarity with these vital institutions and strongly oppose efforts by anyone to disrupt or demean the important role of HBCUs in advancing the futures of America's students, regardless of race or ethnicity. Violence and threats have no place in the nation's ongoing discussions and reckoning with its prejudiced past. Fear and violence do not create a successful path forward.

Social workers of Metro DC stand ready to help anyone who needs extra support for their mental and behavioral health.