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On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris and the U.S. Department of Education announced that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that have recently experienced bomb threats are eligible to apply for grant funds under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program.
Project SERV provides short-term immediate funding for local educational agencies (LEAs) and institutions of higher education (IHEs) that have experienced a violent or traumatic incident to assist in restoring a safe environment conducive to learning.
“We gather united against violence and against intimidation,” Harris said. “Every American should be able to learn, work, worship and gather without fear. It is our duty to do everything we can to protect all our communities. Harm against any one of our communities is a harm against all of us.”
Harris said that more than 80 anonymous bomb threats had been issued against dozens of majority-Black faith and educational institutions.
The announcement of the program comes after dozens of threats were made to some of the most prominent HBCUs in the nation during the first few months of the year.
The Department of Education will work with HBCUs that have received recent bomb threats to determine if Project SERV can help with immediate needs, such as targeted mental health resources or enhanced security to restore the learning environment on their campuses. Funding for Project SERV is limited, and awards typically range from $50,000 to $150,000 per school.
“The recent bomb threats experienced by HBCUs have shaken students and fractured their sense of safety and belonging, which are critical to their academic success and wellbeing,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We, at the Department of Education, recognize how these threats evoke a painful history of violence against Black Americans in this country that is especially traumatizing to HBCU students, faculty, and staff.”
“Today’s announcement will improve access to Project SERV grants for HBCUs as these institutions work to address students’ mental health needs, shore up campus security, and restore learning environments so that they can get back to doing what they do best—educating the next generation of great leaders,” added Cardona.
The FBI began its ongoing investigation of the bomb scares as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes” earlier this year.
The law enforcement agency identified six juveniles as persons of interest in the series of HBCU bomb threats last month, but a law enforcement official later told CNN no arrests had been made.
“The bomb threats against HBCUs, particularly concentrated in Black History Month, constitute a uniquely traumatic event, given the history of bombings as a tactic to intimidate and provoke fear in Black Americans during the long struggle for civil rights in the 20th century,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“In this context, even the threat of bombings at HBCUs can have a deep and unsettling impact on students, faculty, and staff that significantly disrupts the learning environment. Our HBCUs are pillars of strength and resiliency, and we will continue working to promote policies and practices that fortify that strength and advance educational equity, excellence, and economic opportunity through these institutions.”
