ST. LOUIS — Harris-Stowe State University officials closed campus and suspended classes after a bomb threat Tuesday morning, making it one of at least a dozen historically Black colleges and universities across the country to report similar threats.
Officials said roughly three hours later it was safe to return to campus, though classes remained online through Friday because of expected wintry weather, a Harris-Stowe spokeswoman said.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, FBI and campus police were investigating the incident, university officials said.
St. Louis police said they did not know whether the threat at Harris-Stowe was related to a bomb threat Monday morning at St. Louis City Hall.
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On Tuesday, which marked the first day of Black History Month, at least 12 other HBCUs, including Howard University in Washington, D.C., Kentucky State University, Morgan State University in Maryland, Alcorn State University in Mississippi and Edward Waters University in Florida, reported threats.
At least six HBCUs had bomb threats the previous day, and eight reported threats two weeks earlier. No bombs were found on any of the campuses.
Harris-Stowe alumna, U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, characterized the threats as the “violent backlash of white supremacy” in a written statement.
“(I) want the entire Harris-Stowe community, especially Harris-Stowe students, to know their excellence is to be celebrated,” she wrote. “Their passion and intellect will change the world, and we will not let the forces of white supremacy slow them down.”
The Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus said in a statement it was “deeply disturbed” by the threats and called for law enforcement to place a “top priority” on the threats.
“Learning is one of the most noble and most human pursuits, and schools are sacred places that should always be free from terror,” it said.
Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis has an enrollment of about 1,600 students.
Updated at 4:25 p.m. with a statement from U.S. Rep. Cori Bush.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
