National Communication Association’s African American Communication and Culture Division and Black Caucus Joint Statement Regarding Bomb Threats against HBCUs
In the immortal words of revered abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, “the moral growth of a great nation requires reflection, as well as observation, to appreciate it.” The recent spate of bomb threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities is an abhorrent reminder of the need for this nation to reflect upon the current positioning of its moral compass.
It is no mistake that these attempts to terrorize the souls of Black folk come at the start of Black History Month, a time dedicated to, among other things, the observation of Black excellence, and reflection on the incalculable contributions that Black intellect has made to the current eminence, economic and otherwise, that this country currently occupies.
The symbolism is clear. An attack on our HBCU’s, esteemed seats of knowledge, is an attempt at erasure, a contemporary Tulsa Oklahoma, 1921. We the African American Communication and Culture Division and Black Caucus recognize these threats as acts of terrorism and condemn them for the heinous actions that they are. We firmly maintain that these attempts to perpetrate intellectual genocide upon the Black community are more reflective of the perpetrators’ ignorance and the content of such characters, than anything else.
Let us recommit ourselves to the moral reckoning that our leaders such as Frederick Douglass have called us to do because, as Southerner Truth reminded us ““Where there is so much racket, there must be something out of kilter.”
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