At Black Voters Matter, we have the honor of meeting with HBCU students every day, students who are relentless in their pursuit of higher education, who fight for better lives for themselves and their families. Our young people deserve safety and security in the classroom, not campus lockdowns and racist threats.
Let’s call this what it is: intimidation aimed at Black students, in the wake of violence on a white campus, by an apparent white suspect, in a predominantly white state. Intimidation tactics come from a decades-old playbook that threatens individuals for having the audacity to demand dignity and equality. This is not a retaliation against yesterday’s shooting; it is instead a retaliation against 70 years of civil rights history.
The truth is, there are people in this country who will twist any tragedy into a pretext for hate. We have seen it before from Tulsa to Birmingham and many more. Black progress is so often met with backlash, not because of what we do, but because of who we are and the power we hold when we come together.
Fear can be contagious, but so is resistance. We at Black Voters Matter will always stand in solidarity with our beloved HBCUs.
Together, we are unbreakable and unyielding.