[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
HBCUs AT RISK: EXAMINING FEDERAL
SUPPORT FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON
OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
MARCH 17, 2022
__________
Serial No. 117-72
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Reform
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available on: govinfo.gov,
oversight.house.gov or
docs.house.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
47-164 PDF WASHINGTON : 2022
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COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND REFORM
CAROLYN B. MALONEY, New York, Chairwoman
Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of James Comer, Kentucky, Ranking
Columbia Minority Member
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts Jim Jordan, Ohio
Jim Cooper, Tennessee Virginia Foxx, North Carolina
Gerald E. Connolly, Virginia Jody B. Hice, Georgia
Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin
Jamie Raskin, Maryland Michael Cloud, Texas
Ro Khanna, California Bob Gibbs, Ohio
Kweisi Mfume, Maryland Clay Higgins, Louisiana
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Ralph Norman, South Carolina
Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Pete Sessions, Texas
Katie Porter, California Fred Keller, Pennsylvania
Cori Bush, Missouri Andy Biggs, Arizona
Shontel M. Brown, Ohio Andrew Clyde, Georgia
Danny K. Davis, Illinois Nancy Mace, South Carolina
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida Scott Franklin, Florida
Peter Welch, Vermont Jake LaTurner, Kansas
Henry C. ``Hank'' Johnson, Jr., Pat Fallon, Texas
Georgia Yvette Herrell, New Mexico
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Byron Donalds, Florida
Jackie Speier, California Vacancy
Robin L. Kelly, Illinois
Brenda L. Lawrence, Michigan
Mark DeSaulnier, California
Jimmy Gomez, California
Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
Russ Anello, Staff Director
Jordan Blumenthal, Team Lead
Amy Stratton, Deputy Chief Clerk
Contact Number: 202-225-5051
Mark Marin, Minority Staff Director
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C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on March 17, 2022................................... 1
Witnesses
Panel 1
Ms. Kylie Burke, President, Student Association, Howard
University
Oral Statement............................................... 8
Mr. Emmanuel Ukot, President, Student Government Association,
Xavier University of Louisiana
Oral Statement............................................... 9
Mr. Devan M. Vilfrard, Associate Chief Justice, Student Supreme
Court, Florida A&M University
Oral Statement............................................... 12
Panel 2
Mr. Ryan T. Young, Executive Assistant Director, Intelligence
Branch,
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Oral Statement............................................... 14
Mr. Sean Haglund, Associate Director, Office for Bombing
Prevention,
Department of Homeland Security
Oral Statement............................................... 15
Dr. Michelle Asha Cooper, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher
Education Programs, Delegated the Authority to Perform the
Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary, Office of
Postsecondary Education Department of Education
Oral Statement............................................... 17
Opening statements and the prepared statements for the witnesses
are available in the U.S. House of Representatives Repository
at: docs.house.gov.
INDEX OF DOCUMENTS
----------
The documents listed below are available at: docs.house.gov.
* President Larry Robinson Testimony; submitted by Rep.
Donalds.
* Interim President Powell Testimony; submitted by Rep.
Donalds.
* Dr. David Wilson Testimony; submitted by Rep. Mfume.
HBCUs AT RISK: EXAMINING FEDERAL
SUPPORT FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK
COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
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Thursday, March 17, 2022
House of Representatives,
Committee on Oversight and Reform,
Washington, D.C.
The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:06 a.m., in
room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Carolyn Maloney
[chairwoman of the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Maloney, Norton, Raskin, Khanna,
Mfume, Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, Porter, Bush, Brown, Davis,
Wasserman Schultz, Sarbanes, Kelly, Lawrence, DeSaulnier,
Pressley, Comer, Jordan, Hice, Grothman, Cloud, Higgins,
Sessions, Keller, Clyde, Mace, LaTurner, Fallon, and Donalds.
Also present: Representative Adams.
Chairwoman Maloney. [Presiding.] The committee will come to
order.
Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a
recess of the committee at any time.
I now recognize myself for an opening statement.
The Oversight Committee is holding today's bipartisan
hearing to examine how the Federal Government can support
historically Black colleges and universities in the face of
threats to student safety. I want to thank Congressman Byron
Donalds for requesting this hearing. Congressman Donalds, I
look forward to continuing to work with you to support HBCUs.
Since the beginning of the year, at least 36 historically
Black colleges and universities, more than one-third of all
HBCUs, have been targeted by bomb threats. At least 18 HBCUs
were targeted on February 1, the first day of Black History
Month. Just this week, a threat targeting Morehouse College in
Atlanta forced students to shelter in place. The threats of
violence and intimidation have halted classes across the
country and caused campuses to go into lockdown. These threats
have also negatively impacted the well-being of students
attending HBCUs, causing them to fear for their safety and
placing a significant strain on their mental health. In one
threatening call targeting Spelman College, an HBCU for women
in Atlanta, a caller claimed they had singled out that school
for one reason: ``There are too many Black students in it.''
These reprehensible threats against Black institutions echo
the tactics employed by the Ku Klux Klan and others decades ago
as they tried to instill terror in the Black community and
prevent Black Americans from gaining their civil rights. And
today's threats come amid a rise in hate crimes and violent
white supremacy across the country that have targeted the Black
community and other racial, ethnic, and religious minorities.
HBCUs play a critical role in promoting equity through
economic and educational opportunities for Black Americans.
They also provide Black students with a safe space to explore
their collective identities and cultures. Our beloved former
chairman, Elijah Cummings, was a proud alumnus of Howard
University and a member of the board of regents at Morgan State
University. He explained that HBCUs were created because other
schools' racist admission policies had refused to admit
African-American students. And he warned, and I quote, ``While
segregation has ended, structural racism still exists in
society today. That is why HBCUs still matter.'' HBCUs matter
and every HBCU student matters. That is why we must do
everything possible to support them, especially when they are
threatened or attacked. It is imperative that law enforcement
agencies prioritize holding perpetrators accountable and
working to keep campuses safe, while also pursuing a broader
strategy to address the rising tide of violent white supremacy
in this country.
President Biden has rightly described the threats of
violence against HBCUs as cowardly and un-American, and the
Biden-Harris Administration has led a strong multi-agency
response to support HBCUs in the face of these threats. Just
yesterday, I was proud to join Vice President Harris, a proud
HBCU alumna, as she announced the Administration is making new
grant funds available for HBCUs targeted by bomb threats. The
FBI is actively investigating the bomb threats to HBCUs, which
it has called its ``highest priority.'' The Department of
Education and Department of Homeland Security have expanded
coordination with HBCUs that are providing guidance and tools
to help them keep their campuses safe.
I appreciate that all three of these agencies are
participating in today's hearing. And I want to remind members
that these threats are being actively investigated, so our
witnesses will not be able to answer any questions that could
compromise ongoing investigations.
Congress also has an important role to play. Last week, I
proudly voted for a resolution condemning these bomb threats,
led by Representative Adams and Representative Hill, which
unanimously passed the House, and Representative Adams has
waived on to join us for this meeting today. But we must do
more. We need to pass the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act to
increase investments in HBCUs and provide funds that can be
used to strengthen campus security. Congress also must pass the
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act, which would enhance the
government's ability to counter terrorism. Both of these bills
are bipartisan.
I also want to recognize Congressman Jamie Raskin for his
leadership on these issues as chairman of the Subcommittee on
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Chairman Raskin has worked
tirelessly to confront violent white supremacy and expose its
connection to the recent surge of domestic violent extremists.
He has also pushed for a national strategy to combat domestic
violent extremism which the Biden Administration adopted this
year, so I thank him for his partnership in this hearing. And I
now yield to him for an opening statement before I recognize
the distinguished ranking member, Mr. Comer, for an opening
statement and Mr. Donalds also.
Mr. Raskin. Sorry about that. Again, thank you, Madam
Chair, for calling the important hearing, and thanks to
Congressman Donalds for urging us to call the hearing and for
his assistance in putting it together.
On January 31 and February 1 of this year, at the beginning
of Black History Month, 24 historically Black colleges and
universities received threats that bombs were going to explode
on campus. Since the beginning of the year, at least 36
historically Black colleges and universities have received 54
different bomb threats. On Tuesday of this week, Morehouse, the
famous college in Atlanta, received a bomb threat causing
students to have to shelter in place.
The perpetrators behind these acts obviously are targeting
Black colleges and universities, seeking to disrupt and
terrorize the students, the faculty, the staff, and all of
their families. No other colleges or universities have been
targeted and disrupted in the same fashion. The FBI announced
that the threats made on February 1 are being investigated as
racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate
crimes. No arrests have yet been made, but we can assume at
least some of the threats were animated by hatred of Black
Americans and the deliberate intent to terrorize them.
For example, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida got a
20-minute threatening call from a person stating that they were
a member of the Atomwaffen Division, a right-wing extremist and
neo-Nazi terrorist network, and had planted multiple bombs
around the university, and were orchestrating an active
shooting. Howard University, which is, of course, just minutes
from where we sit, has received four different bomb threats
this year alone, something which, I am sure, has terrified not
just the students, and faculty, and staff, but their families
given the fact that we saw here in Washington at the Capitol
itself shocking white nationalist-led violence that engulfed
the Capitol on January 6 of last year, and ended up not just in
multiple deaths, but in 150 of our police officers being
injured, wounded, and hospitalized with broken necks, jaws,
vertebrae, lost fingers, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic
stress syndrome, and so on.
The violent threats against the HBCUs are part of a trend,
of rising hate crimes against African Americans. Between 2019
and 2020, there was a nearly 50-percent increase in hate crimes
committed against Black people in the country. Now there are
spiking threats against what have traditionally been safe
spaces for African Americans in the country. We can be thankful
that none of these threats have yet materialized in a bomb
exploding on campus like the ones we saw at Florida A&M in
1999, but that, of course, does not diminish the emotional and
psychological trauma inflicted on students and the disruption
to university life.
I very much appreciate that the FBI has deemed its active
investigation of these bomb threats the highest priority. As
the investigation unfolds, I know the FBI cannot answer
questions about the status of specific cases, but I would like
to know how the FBI is coordinating with the HBCUs and
communities of color to address the rise in hate crimes across
the country. I look forward to hearing answers from the FBI as
well as from our witnesses, from the Department of Education,
and Homeland Security as to how they are working to ensure the
safety and security of our students.
Most importantly, I want to thank the student leaders who
are testifying before us today: Kylie Burke of Howard, Emmanuel
Ukot of Xavier University in New Orleans, and Devan Vilfrard of
Florida A&M. We recognize how tough these past few years have
been between COVID and now these bomb threats to these
formative and critical years in your young lives. We appreciate
your strength, your resiliency, and your leadership that you
have been showing throughout this crisis.
Madam Chair, I yield back to you.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back, and I now
recognize Congressman Donalds. Mr. Comer, excuse me. Mr. Comer,
the distinguished ranking member of this committee.
Mr. Comer. Well, thank you, Chairwoman Maloney. I want to
thank you for holding today's hearing, which Mr. Donalds
requested, on the importance of historically Black college and
universities and what the Federal Government is doing to
respond to a string of recent bomb threats to many of their
campuses. HBCUs were established during a dark period of
segregation in the United States to provide access to higher
education for Black Americans, who were excluded from other
institutions. Higher education has historically been an
important avenue in this country for Americans to be able to
achieve their American Dream, and America's HBCUs have been
graduating many of our country's leaders for over 150 years.
These institutions have provided avenues to undergraduate
and graduate programs for well over a century, and their alumni
have gone on to do great things in both the public and private
sectors. All Americans who attend institutions of higher
education should be able to pursue their studies in a safe
environment. Unfortunately, HBCUs have recently been the
subject of a number of bomb threats to their campuses. More
than half of the 107 HBCUs in this country have been targeted
for bomb threats since the beginning of this year. On top of
all the disruptions to campuses caused by COVID-19, these bomb
threats have added to the strain on students, faculty, and
administrators as yet another hurdle to overcome.
Fortunately, no one has been hurt, and the Federal
Government reports that, so far, no viable explosive devices
have been found. Nevertheless, these threats must be taken
seriously by the government and university administration
officials. These threats are incredibly disruptive to campuses,
requiring lockdowns, campus closures, and canceled classes
while law enforcement clears that potential threat. I look
forward to hearing from the lay witness panel today about the
impact of these threats to campuses and especially the student
body. And I also look forward to hearing from the government
panel about what authorities Federal agencies are leveraging to
respond to these threats, what they are doing to track down and
arrest the individual or individuals responsible, and how the
Federal Government is ensuring HBCUs have the resources they
need to secure their campuses.
We all deserve to live in a society that affords Americans
of all backgrounds an equal opportunity to achieve our American
Dream. HBCUs are a crucial thread running through the fabric of
the American experiment. I hope this hearing will demonstrate
the importance of HBCUs in providing equal opportunities for
higher education as well as the Federal Government's role in
protecting Americans from the specter of rising violence across
this country.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. OK. I now recognize Congressman Byron
Donalds for an opening statement and thank him for requesting
this hearing.
Mr. Donalds. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I would ask
unanimous consent to enter the following documents into the
record. The first document is testimony from President Larry
Robinson of Florida A&M University outlining the severe impacts
of bomb threats on the educational environment at FAMU and
HBCUs around the country. The second document is testimony from
Interim President Powell of Bethune-Cookman University, which
illustrates the unfortunate implications of bomb threats at
Bethune-Cookman and other HBCUs around the country as well.
Chairwoman Maloney. Without objection.
Mr. Donalds. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to convey my
sincerest appreciation to you and your staff for agreeing to
hold this hearing today. To begin, over a dozen HBCUs received
bomb threats on the first day of Black History Month. In
response, I immediately requested this hearing to conduct
oversight over the Federal Government's response to these
significant threats. Since that time, more than half of the
Nation's HBCUs have received bomb threats. Florida is home to
four HBCUs. As someone who attended one of those institutions--
FAMU, Florida A&M University, I attended from 1996 to 1999, and
we are aware of the history of FAMU with a pipe bomb incident
that was exploded on FAMU's campus in August 1999--I understand
the importance of America's HBCUs and the value they add to the
landscape of higher education in the United States.
Every year, more than 250,000 Americans attend an HBCU.
These institutions are critical to providing high-quality
education to those who attend these institutions. Any attempt
to threaten, intimidate, or inflict harm on innocent college
students and staff, particularly students and staff at HBCUs,
impedes the right to access high-quality educational
opportunities. And these threats also prevent students and
faculty members from securing their fundamental right to safety
while their well-being is being touched.
While I requested this hearing, I hope that this hearing
will not display partisan politics, but, instead, that we would
be on a fact-finding mission to explore the extent of these
threats and how to hold the perpetrators accountable, and how
to prevent these from happening again in the future. I am
pleased that the chairwoman has worked with my staff and the
Oversight Republicans to make this a possibility, and I hope
that this hearing today will be fruitful and will shine light
on the severity of bomb threats at HBCUs across the country.
I want to thank the chairwoman and her staff for preparing
this hearing and ensuring that the perspective of the students
who are here with us in panel one are heard, and that we do
everything that we can to get down to the bottom of these
threats against these institutions, is heard openly, and that
us, not only as the Oversight Committee but also as a Federal
Government overall, do everything we can to make sure that
these threats are stopped and are not perpetrated any further.
With that, I yield back. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentleman yields back.
I now recognize Ms. Mace, who is the Ranking Member of the
Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, for her
important opening statement, and she is joining us right now.
Ms. Mace. Right now. There we go. Thank you, Chairwoman
Maloney, and thank you, Congressman Donalds, for your testimony
today.
South Carolina is proud of its citizens who choose to
obtain higher education degrees, particularly at our
historically Black colleges and universities. And in the state
of South Carolina, we have several, including Allen University,
Benedict College, Claflin University, Clinton College, Denmark
Technical College, Morris College, South Carolina State
University, and Voorhees College. We have a proud and rich
history of graduates from South Carolina's historically Black
colleges universities. They are made up of both two-and four-
year degree granting institutions and campuses that also offer
graduate studies programs. Six of these HBCUs were founded in
the late 1800's, others in the 60's during the Civil Rights
Movement in this country, and seven of them have been around
for more than 100 years.
And our Nation's history includes regrettable chapters of
exclusion and segregation. During that period, HBCUs were
established, mostly in southern states, to ensure that Black
Americans had access to higher education opportunities like
white students. Even after the passage of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964, these institutions of higher education continue to
serve critical roles in ensuring access to educational
opportunities, and degrees, and access for all Americans who
seek them.
HBCUs are an important piece of the overall fabric of
higher education in this country just like our military
colleges, like the Citadel where I am a proud graduate from. So
it saddens me that today we are having a hearing and we find
ourselves having a hearing on a situation where a series of
targeted bomb threats are disrupting campus life at HBCUs
across the country. They are putting students, faculty, and
administrations in fear for their lives, and this is something
I know all too well about. When I was the first woman to
graduate from The Citadel, the military college of South
Carolina, I had threats. I had people threatening to shoot me.
I had people threatening to shoot my family. And on my
graduation day, there were actually bomb threats at my
graduation.
And so I think back to my time in my early 20's when I was
going through this process and how a series of targeted bomb
threats really disrupted and affected my life and the campus
where I was at, at the Citadel. And I think about the added
stress of dealing with these kinds of threats, the pressure on
our law enforcement to keep these communities safe, the
pressures on the students, the concerns and stress on their
families and the faculty, especially after students, and
faculty, and the administrative employees of different
universities had so much disruption with COVID-19 pandemic
closures, et cetera. These threats are entirely and wholly
unacceptable. No one should have to live life in fear,
especially students who are pursuing their studies and
opportunities and seeking to achieve their American Dream.
The FBI has prioritized this investigation, but I am
concerned that these threats have been going on for over a
month now and there has yet to be an arrest. Those responsible
for these crimes deserve swift justice. The penalties for a
coordinated campaign of bomb threats designed to instill fear
in our students should be severe in this case to send a message
that we will not tolerate these kinds of threats, or this kind
of conduct, or these kinds of crime in our country. The impact
that these threats have on our HBCU communities, it is
devastating, and we have got to respond with the full force of
the law and the Federal Government to mitigate such threats.
I look forward to hearing from the student witnesses today
about their own higher education experiences and how these
threats are affecting them and the student bodies that they
serve. I also look forward to hearing from the government panel
about what they are doing to bring those responsible to justice
and hold them accountable to prevent these threats from
happening all across the country. Our students and our citizens
deserve nothing less.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back. I request
unanimous consent that Alma Adams be allowed to participate in
this hearing.
Without objection, so ordered.
Now I would like to introduce our first panel of witnesses
who are all students at HBCUs. They will be testifying but not
answering questions. First, we will have Kylie Burke who is the
president of the Student Association at Howard University. Then
we will hear from Emmanuel Ukot, who is the president of the
Student Government Association at Xavier University of
Louisiana. Finally, we will hear from Devan Vilfrard, who is
the associate chief justice on the Student Supreme Court at
Florida A&M University.
The witnesses will be unmuted so we can swear them in.
Please raise your right hands.
Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to
give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help you God?
[A chorus of ayes.]
Chairwoman Maloney. Let the record show that the witnesses
answered in the affirmative. Thank you.
Without objection, your written statements will be made
part of our permanent record.
With that, Ms. Burke, you are now recognized for your
testimony. It is very good to see you again. She was at the
White House yesterday for this very important ceremony.
Ms. Burke. Thank you, Chairwoman.
STATEMENT OF KYLIE BURKE, PRESIDENT, STUDENT ASSOCIATION,
HOWARD UNIVERSITY
Ms. Burke. Good morning, and thank you to the committee for
providing this platform for HBCU students to share their
personal experiences. I would like to first begin by
introducing myself and sharing a campus tradition we call the
Howard Intro. My name is Kylie Burke. I am a graduating senior,
honors political science major, psychology minor, from the Bay
Area of California. And while I was born in Hayward, I believe
my journey to Howard and sitting in this room here today began
in rural Frederica, Delaware.
My mother moved me and my sister back to her childhood
hometown just before I started kindergarten. I grew up watching
the many sacrifices required of her while she worked to rebuild
our lives. She managed multiple jobs, put herself through
university as a single mother, and stretched food stamps every
week. I have vivid memories of routinely sneaking into her room
at night while she was studying and asking to sleep on the far
side of her bed, which was more covered with an assortment of
highlighters, books, and note cards than decorative pillows.
She would occasionally indulge me by letting me attempt to quiz
her, but even when she didn't, I always watched in amazement
and dreamed of the day I'd be in college myself. However, in
all those nights I spent curled by her side dreaming of my
future, I would've never imagined the incredible purpose,
community, and opportunities waiting for me at Howard
University, and the opportunity to contribute to the lasting
legacy of our university was simply priceless.
My eagerness to contribute, while powerful, is not unique.
Across the country, there are over 100 historically Black
colleges and universities developing great minds of a similar
fortitude. My family story of resilience, growth, and the
important emphasis placed on education is also familiar on HBCU
campuses. This spring, many of us walking across the stage will
be the first in our families to graduate, the first to pursue
graduate degrees and carrying the advance of our family's
economic futures. And I understand that everyone does not have
the firsthand experience of walking across the yard or speaking
with brilliant HBCU students in a classroom. Fortunately,
though, the numbers speak for themselves.
While historically Black colleges and universities
represent a small fraction of all four-year higher education
options for students, we are the embodiment of doing more with
less. Eighty percent of the country's African-American judges,
50 percent of lawyers, and 40 percent of engineers are HBCU
graduates. Additionally, the Howard Medical School alone
produces 50 percent of the country's Black medical doctors,
many of whom go on to start their careers in underserved
communities where care is needed the most. These institutions
yield a societal impact that simply cannot be quantified.
So when bigoted cowardice actors began to issue violent
bomb threats to Howard University and dozens of HBCUs at the
start of 2022, it was clear that their intentions were to
dismantle sacred pinnacles of Black excellence. Unmistakably,
the highest concentration of these threats were delivered on
the first day of Black History Month. Since February 1, more
than half of all HBCUs in the country have received similar
threats. However, I am here today to inform the committee that
not only do we condemn all perpetrators attempting to induce
fear in our campuses but to also emphasize that our resilience
stands as a testament to the fact that no threat, either real
or fictitious, could ever stand against our legacy, our
community, and our commitment to supporting each other.
Yet and still, the added stress and, in some cases,
paranoia students, faculty, and staff have subsequently
experienced cannot be understated and has caused universities
to react in real time by balancing two crucial approaches:
first, the need to protect and secure our campuses, and second,
addressing the mental health needs of our communities. As
president of the Howard University Student Association, it was
my responsibility to aid those efforts as well. Immediately,
our team began working to connect students to the information
and resources they needed. We coordinated a series of
leadership briefings, inviting students and senior leadership
overseeing the university's response, including the chief of
police, COO, and vice president of student affairs together.
We worked to establish Healing at Howard, a counselor-led
session providing a much-needed safe space for students and
staff to share their anxieties and experiences with each other.
Howard and many other HBCUs also made the important decision to
provide mental health days following the threat as well,
acknowledging the weight of anxiety that fell on campuses after
students were repeatedly woken up with safety alerts, sometimes
as late as 2 and 3 a.m. in the morning, constantly leaving us
on edge and feeling as if the next threat was all but imminent.
I am both proud and grateful for the attention, unity, and
support the HBCU community has demonstrated this year, and at
the very same time I recognize that Howard University has a
unique privilege of being housed in the Nation's capital with
proximal access to Federal agency support and assistance,
unlike many of our peers. I share all this today in hopes that
this context provides you all with a better, more tangible
understanding of what it means to attend an HBCU, what
resources are and are not available commonly to our
communities.
I also hope that I have been exceedingly clear in defining
what is at stake if these institutions are to be neglected,
either financially or physically, because when you support
historically Black colleges and universities, what you are
really supporting is the next generation of Black lawyers,
filmmakers, engineers, artists, doctors, and even politicians.
You are supporting a better future, one where Black students
know there is a safeguarded intellectual and cultural community
waiting for them that is protected. And if that is not worth
defending, funding, and championing, I am not sure what it is.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentlelady yields back.
I now recognize Mr. Ukot. You are now recognized for your
testimony.
STATEMENT OF EMMANUEL UKOT, PRESIDENT, STUDENT GOVERNMENT
ASSOCIATION, XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF
LOUISIANA
Mr. Ukot. Thank you, and good morning. Chairwoman Maloney,
Ranking Member Comer, and the other distinguished members of
the committee, thank you very much for the opportunity to
testify today. My name is Emmanuel Ukot, and I serve as the
president of the Student Government Association at Xavier
University of Louisiana. As the only institution in the country
that is both Catholic and an HBCU, it was founded in 1925 by
Saint Katharine Drexel and the sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
with a mission of contributing to a more just and humane
society by positioning students like me to assume roles of
leadership and service across the world.
As you are aware, HBCUs were established in 1837, as early
as that, to provide a supportive and stimulating environment
for African Americans to pursue higher education. With the
designation ``HBCU'' defined in the Higher Education Act of
1965, Xavier is one of the Nation's 101 HBCUs across the
country that seek to cultivate mission-driven and socially
responsible students that are prepared to make an impact in our
communities. And I hope to share just how important our HBCUs
are to students like me across this country. I was asked to
testify before the committee today on the importance of our
country's HBCUs, share how the recent racially motivated bomb
threats made against over 30 HBCUs in the beginning of February
2022 have directly impacted our students thus far, and share a
student's perspective on the need for continued Federal
support.
When I was in high school preparing for college, I applied
to a number of institutions, but it wasn't until a friend of
mine got accepted to an HBCU, and she said you have to go. You
have to go. She strongly encouraged me. That is when I began to
seriously inquire about also attending an HBCU. Soon after, I
enrolled at Xavier University of Louisiana. Not only did Xavier
help me pivot in my career path, but the faculty, the staff,
the administrators, and the students challenged me to identify
with the University's mission and its purpose and align my
aspirations with it. I realized over time that Xavier is more
than academics. It is a very rigorous academic program. Xavier
is more than its strong student life experience. Xavier is even
more than its great athletics program as well. Xavier is a
lifestyle. By educating students like me on the mission of this
university and curating experiences for us to practice it, we
are truly living out the mission and are further developing
ourselves to make a positive impact in our communities in the
long run, and the same is true for so many other HBCU students
across this country.
This is why it is especially painful when dozens of HBCUs
across the country, uniquely important environments for
students like me, received bomb threats at the start of
February 2022, the beginning of Black History Month. And as the
news spread and law enforcement began to investigate, the FBI
labeled these acts as racially and ethnically motivated violent
extremism and hate crimes. On Xavier's campus alone, students
were concerned and shared just how anxious they were,
especially given the significance of the month we were in.
Students approached the SGA regarding the university's
counseling and wellness services, and I personally know a
number of students who were too nervous and paranoid to attend
classes for the remainder of the week.
While this brazen, racially motivated act had an immediate
effect on our students, I also saw the potential for a larger
issue at hand. In a society where racial tensions have reached
boiling points over and over again in the past two years, acts
of aggression like this further feed into the racial discord
and friction that can affect the future generation even more
than the current one. As many of us work to allow room for
difficult discussions concerning race and we strive to bring
our communities together, hateful acts like this further push
people away from such hard, but necessary, discussions and the
work that needs to be done. As our HBCUs strive to develop the
next socially responsible leaders, these acts are antithetical
to that same mission. This is why the support of individuals,
organizations, and the Federal Government is necessary to
protect our HBCUs.
So with this information, Madam Chairwoman, I would
appreciate if you and the committee would consider the
following recommendations. First, the FBI needs to bring those
who have perpetrated these terroristic calls, instant messages,
and online posts to justice. Second, HBCUs need more funding
for security to set up a real apparatus. Three, if Congress
reauthorizes programs which will seek to harden HBCU campuses
and prepare them for these kinds of threats, then Congress
should name our HBCUs in that authorizing law and provide
report language in the annual appropriations process each year
to ensure the departments and agencies make sure funding goes
where it is necessary. Also, the mental health impacts, which
we have already discussed today, of our student body should be
of paramount concern. Our institutions have been approached by
the executives from the American Psychological Association,
noting that the triple impact of COVID-19, the ongoing racial
reckoning in the country, and the bomb threats on HBCU campuses
are having real and lasting impacts on our students.
Last, I would like to thank the Senate for passing Senate
Resolution 534, a simple resolution co-sponsored by Senators
Tim Scott and Chris Coons, and I appreciate the House for
addressing this matter as well. The Senate's and the House's
response sends a bipartisan and bicameral message that these
types of threats against our HBCUs will not be tolerated, and
we appreciate you for that.
I hope I have been able to share an intimate perspective of
how my university and HBCUs across the Nation cultivate leaders
and the change agents of tomorrow. HBCUs have a history of
contributing to society and developing civically engaged and
responsible leaders. Racially charged acts like the bomb
threats are not only an attack on our campus, but they are an
attack on the ideals and values of HBCUs and their collective
mission. My goal is that my testimony encourages the committee
to continue supporting our HBCUs in the face of these threats
to our safety and our core values.
It is an honor to present this testimony. I hope the
members of the committee will support these recommendations,
and I thank the committee for addressing this important issue.
For more information and details regarding my remarks, I ask
that you read my written testimony submitted for your review.
Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you for your testimony and your
recommendations.
We now identify and call upon Mr. Vilfrard. You are
recognized for your testimony remotely.
STATEMENT OF DEVAN M. VILFRARD, ASSOCIATE CHIEF
JUSTICE, STUDENT SUPREME COURT, FLORIDA A&M
UNIVERSITY
Mr. Vilfrard. Thank you very much. Good morning, everyone.
My name is Devan Michael Vilfrard. I am from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida. I am a graduating senior from Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, studying political science with a minor in pre-law,
and I serve as the associate chief justice of the Student
Supreme Court of Florida A&M University as well as the state
president of the NAACP Youth and College Division of Florida.
To Chairman Carolyn B. Maloney, Subcommittee Chairman Jamie
Raskin, Ranking Member James Comer, and Congressman Byron
Donalds, thank you for the opportunity to provide public
testimony for today's hearing, ``HBCUs at Risk: Examining
Federal Support for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities.'' Thank you for hearing perspectives of a student
at Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, otherwise
known as FAMU, and perspectives of other agency
representatives.
While our modern-day perspectives are essential, I would
also like to emphasize that racial violence at HBCUs is a
multi-generational occurrence that profoundly impacts the Black
community. My family and I are living examples of this multi-
generational trauma as two of my cousins have lived experiences
of the 1999 pipe bombs that took place at FAMU while they were
students from 1998 until 2001 and 2002, respectively.
Historically Black colleges and universities have been a
longstanding symbol of support and a path toward success for
Black communities across our Nation for generations and will
continue to provide this for generations to come. However, bomb
threats toward the Black community are, unfortunately, an
experience that has shown its face as if it were a generational
tradition. Many generations can recount their own experiences
of bomb threats and bombs being dropped or detonated on their
communities. Despite these foul, yet all too common occurrences
of racism traditionally taking place in the United States,
HBCUs provide a path toward success and pursuing the American
Dream for Black Americans that each and every American longs
for.
As a son and grandson of immigrants, I had no clue what
opportunities lay ahead of me before I began college. However,
if it were not for an HBCU like FAMU, I know for certain that I
would not be who I am today. Although I am the first in my
immediate family to attend and graduate college, as I will be
crossing the stage wearing a cap and gown on April 29, 2022, I
have two extended family members who attended FAMU during the
pipe bombs in 1999. My cousins, William Sainvil and Wadson
Sainvil, were both criminal justice scholars during the
bombings. William Sainvil served 10 years under the Broward
Sheriff's Office immediately following his graduation in 2001.
Wadson Sainvil still serves today in his 19th year on the force
as a police sergeant of the Hollywood Police Department in
Hollywood, Florida. Both William and Wadson are examples of
HBCU excellence. They both graduated with honors and serve the
community to make lives around them better through law
enforcement, despite facing racial violence in the form of pipe
bombs detonated during their time at FAMU.
My cousins, who are children of immigrants like I am, never
expected to endure pipe bombs on their campus classes by a
racist who did not want Black people to engage in higher
education. Instead, they expected to excel on a campus meant
for academic excellence and to chase their aspirations of
becoming educated and well-rounded Americans. More than 20
years later, my cousins also did not expect their younger
cousin to attend the same illustrious university while HBCUs
across the Nation, including fellow HBCUs, Florida Memorial
University, Bethune-Cookman University, and Edward Waters
University, who are experiencing their own round of pipe bomb
threats. I, too, now have anxiety about the safety of my three
goddaughters, my younger siblings, and my future children as
they enroll in HBCUs once their time comes to earn a formal
education.
William Sainvil, Wadson Sainvil, and I are all products of
success that historically Black colleges and universities
produce at every graduation ceremony. HBCUs continue to be
federally supported and protected as we endeavor to remove this
ongoing tradition of bombing and bomb threats for HBCU students
of the future. Racism has impacted minorities for generations,
but institutions like Florida A&M University, and those of my
fellow panelists at Howard University and Xavier University,
and many more, are all ready and willing to propel minorities
like us into our Nation so we can make the change that we wish
to see.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify and provide
the perspective of an HBCU student on this important topic.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank all of you for your very powerful
testimony, and I want to note that there are other student
leaders that have accompanied them. I would like you to stand
so we can all recognize your participation, too. And with that,
you are excused, and we will welcome the next panel. Thank you.
The entire second panel is remote, so I would now like to
introduce our second panel of witnesses. First, we have Ryan
Young, who is the executive assistant director in the
Intelligence Branch of the FBI. Then we will hear from Sean
Haglund, who is the associate director in the Office of Bombing
Prevention at the Department of Homeland Security. Last but not
least, we will hear from Dr. Michelle Asha Cooper, who is the
deputy assistant secretary for higher education and has been
delegated the authority to perform the functions and duties of
the assistant secretary in the Office of Post-Secondary
Education at the Department of Education.
The witnesses will be unmuted so we can swear them in.
Please raise your right hands. Please raise your right hands.
OK.
Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to
give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help me God?
[A chorus of ayes.]
Chairwoman Maloney. Let the record show the witnesses
answered in the affirmative. Thank you.
Without objection, your written statements will be made
part of the record.
With that, Mr. Young, you are now recognized for your
testimony.
STATEMENT OF RYAN T. YOUNG, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
DIRECTOR, INTELLIGENCE BRANCH, FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
Mr. Young. Good morning, Chairman Maloney, Ranking Member
Comer, and members of the committee. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to discuss current
threats to houses of worship and other public spaces in the
United States. In these uncertain times, the FBI needs the
support and confidence of the American people to secure public
spaces where Americans gather every day. The FBI's partnerships
with affected communities are both critical to receive threat
information and provide training and preventative measures.
The FBI directly reaches out to various groups to hear
their concerns, build cultural understanding, and foster trust.
FBI headquarters divisions and field offices across the Nation
have strong community outreach and work with minority groups,
academic institutions, religious, civic, and nonprofit
organizations toward crime prevention. The FBI also recognizes
that hate crimes remain a concern for communities across the
country and collects mandatory reporting from Federal law
enforcement agencies. Reporting remains voluntary for state,
local, and tribal law enforcement agencies. The FBI has hate
crime statistics from 2020. However, reporting from 2021 will
not be available until the fall. Additionally, the FBI created
a Multicultural Engagement Council composed of ethnic,
religious, and minority leaders to better understand and devise
solutions to support these communities.
The FBI's outreach efforts are dedicated to helping
individuals and families stay safe, protect houses of worship,
fortify academic institutions and workplaces against violent
rampages, and raise public awareness to potential acts of
terrorism and extremism. Another area the FBI is focusing in on
is transnational repression. If our immigrant population are
victims of harassment, stalked, assaulted, or coerced in any
way, especially by foreign governments, this is a violation of
their individual rights and freedoms. The FBI has more
information about transnational repression on our FBI.gov site,
which also houses the threat intimidation guide that is
translated into 28 languages.
Our Office of Private Sector's essential function is to
strengthen the FBI's relationships with the private industry
and academia to protect the Nation's economy and national
security. OPS builds trust among FBI and its partnerships by
facilitating one FBI voice and providing a consistent point of
contact to promote meaningful dialog. OPS works closely with
the operational divisions to communicate threats across
different industries, sectors, companies, and public spaces.
The past month, in the response to the numerous bomb threats
targeting historically Black colleges and universities, OPS
partnered with our Office of Partner Engagement and DHS to host
the first of several calls to HBCUs across the country.
Approximately 1,400 participants were on the first call where
we provided a situational update, points of contact to report
additional threats, and resources available to the academic
institutions.
Although outreach with houses of worship and faith-based
communities falls under the purview of the Office of Public
Affairs, our Office of Partner Engagement maintains
relationships with security elements in those faith-based
communities. OPE works with our faith-based communities on
safety initiatives and in order to ensure coordination on
matters pertaining to houses of worship. The FBI created an
Internal Working group consisting of OPA, our Criminal
Investigative Division, and others. The creation of this
working group directly led to Director Wray hosting two calls
with approximately 30 faith-based community leaders.
The recent incidents involving the Colleyville hostage
crisis and the threats to HBCUs underscore the importance of
having strong relationships before a crisis. As part of the
FBI's response, OPA was able to quickly contact local faith
leaders, minority and academic HBCU connections because the FBI
had preexisting patterns of engagement and established by our
community outreach specialists. In January 2022, OPA met with
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and also conducted partner
calls with Congregation Beth Israel to discuss issues related
to their protection and security. In these discussions, the FBI
shared information about resources developed along with DHS,
including detailed guidance and plans to respond to crises,
such as active shooter or bomb threats. In February 2022, OPA
and OPS hosted a partner call about bomb threats to HBCUs with
our national faith-based minority partners. OPA provided FBI
resources and active shooter training to protect academic
institutions. OPA also held a large webinar planned with the
Church of God in Christ to discuss protection of houses of
worship.
In closing, houses of worship and HBCUs, along with other
public spaces where people gather, require robust protection
efforts. These efforts require effective partnerships, and the
FBI places a strong emphasis on partnering with community
leaders to build trust and share relevant information to
protect public spaces and fulfill our obligation to the
American people.
Chairman Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, members of the
committee, thank you again for this opportunity to discuss the
FBI's efforts to protect HBCUs and houses of worship. I
appreciate your continued support and look forward to answering
any questions you may have.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. Mr. Haglund, you are now
recognized for your testimony. Mr. Haglund?
STATEMENT OF SEAN HAGLUND, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR,
OFFICE FOR BOMBING PREVENTION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Mr. Haglund. Good morning, Chairwoman Maloney, Ranking
Member Comer, members of the committee. I appreciate the
opportunity to speak with you today on the efforts of the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security's Office for Bombing
Prevention in response to the recent spike in bomb threats to
historically Black colleges and universities as well as the
broader community.
Public gatherings and crowded places are increasingly
vulnerable to acts of terrorism and targeted violence because
of their relative accessibility and large numbers of potential
targets. Organizations of all types and sizes, including
businesses, critical infrastructure, owners and operators,
schools, and houses of worship, face a variety of security
risks. DHS is specifically concerned about increasing targeting
of the African-American community, houses of worship, and
educational institutions.
Since early January 2022, U.S. law enforcement agencies
witnessed a marked escalation in the number of bomb threats
directed against historically Black colleges and universities
across the country, resulting in campus evacuations and
lockdowns. These recent incidents reflect the use of bombs and
other explosive devices as an enduring tactic intended to
threaten and intimidate a specific population or group, and
recent data reveals that improvised explosive device-related
incidents in the U.S. are increasing. This escalation has also
served as a stark reminder that even the threatened use of
bombs poses a serious risk to our local communities.
Beyond disrupting lives and creating fear, bomb threats
cause harm to commerce and draw on precious law enforcement and
first responder resources. Additionally, unsubstantiated bomb
threats can create complacency that can lead to increased
vulnerability. The Department's Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, partners with HBCUs
and the local community, collectively, to protect HBCUs and
prepare them to respond to bomb threats. CISA's Office for
Bombing Prevention helps leverage the collective resources and
expertise of DHS to accomplish this critical mission objective.
To reduce risk to the Nation's critical infrastructure, OBP
develops and delivers a diverse array of services to enhance
awareness of threats from IEDs and to build nationwide counter-
IED capabilities. Our efforts focus on engaging these
institutions to ensure that they have the information,
training, and tools necessary to mitigate risk and to respond
to the threat. OBP has initiated outreach in coordination with
CISA's protective security advisors to all HBCU institutions
targeted by the recent bomb threats to assist with enhancing
their security posture and highlight available CISA resources.
With a specific emphasis on bombing prevention, this outreach
and offer of assistance is being expanded to all HBCUs.
In response to the current threat, OBP has conducted
numerous virtual bomb threat management trainings for HBCUs and
other stakeholders over the course of the last few weeks,
including two customized training sessions in early February,
reaching a combined 461 participants. We have also fielded
special requests for training through CISA's regional offices.
In the coming days, OBP will deliver a customized bomb threat
management session followed by a meeting and panel discussion
in conjunction with the Atlanta University Center Consortium
composed of four member institutions: Clark Atlanta University,
Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman
College. This event will be broadcast live and made available
to all HBCUs nationally. We strongly encourage other
stakeholders across the community to utilize our training
sessions either virtually or in person and have personnel ready
to respond to additional requests as they come in.
Though the dramatic spike of threats to HBCUs is very
concerning, the unfortunate reality is that it is not a novel
concept. HBCUs and minority communities receive bomb threats
each year. I want to assure the committee and the community
that responding to threats to HBCUs is a DHS-wide effort. The
Department will continue to ensure security officials from each
HBCU have access to the latest threat information through our
suite of information-sharing platforms. We will continue to
work with each HBCU to ensure their security officials not only
have access to that information but are able to operationalize
this information in their training, assessment, and security
planning efforts. The Administration understands that enhanced
information sharing and preparedness is the foundation of our
approach to prevent, detect, and mitigate acts of violence.
Thank you again for the opportunity to appear before you
today and for this committee's continued support of the
Department. I look forward to continuing to work closely with
you and other Members of Congress to keep our community safe
and secure. Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. OK. Thank you. Dr. Cooper, you are now
recognized for your testimony.
STATEMENT OF MICHELLE ASHA COOPER, PH.D., ACTING
ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Ms. Cooper. Thank you and good morning. Good morning, Chair
Maloney, Ranking Member Comer, Chair Raskin, Ranking Member
Mace, Representative Donalds, and other distinguished members
of the committee. Thank you for this opportunity to provide
testimony on the Department of Education's response to the
ongoing bomb threats to historically Black colleges and
universities. Let me begin by stating that we at the Department
condemn these acts and believe that these and other forms of
violence have absolutely no place in any of our educational
institutions.
As you have already heard, since January, more than one-
third of our country's HBCUs have received one or more bomb
threats. While thankfully no explosive devices have been found,
significant trauma and disruption has been done by threatening
the safety and security of these campuses. These feelings are
not just felt by those on campus but also extend to parents,
family members, alumni, and the broader community.
Because of these ongoing threats, including the one that
just occurred this week, learning has been disrupted, critical
resources have been diverted to the emergency response, and
there has been an increased burden on campus mental health
systems. These threats have occurred since January, but the
majority were concentrated in February, which, as you know, is
Black History Month, and Black History Month experienced at
least one threat per week at an HBCU. We believe that this
timing may be an attempt to exploit tensions in our country and
to remind the HBCU community and, by extension, Black people to
not take our assumed safety for granted.
It is the responsibility of the government to protect its
citizens, which includes those studying and working at HBCUs.
At the Department of Education, we have worked in partnership
with the other Federal agencies, including the ones who are
joining on this panel today, to provide a whole-of-government,
multi-agency response. Immediately after the initial threats in
January, Education Secretary Cardona and Homeland Security
Secretary Mayorkas hosted a briefing with more than 40
presidents of HBCUs to share information on grant programs,
training resources, and other tools available to strengthen
campus safety and security. The White House Initiative on HBCUs
is also coordinating a governmentwide response through its
Campus Safety and Resilience Cluster led by the Departments of
Justice and Homeland Security. In February, the cluster hosted
an event that was attended by more than 300 HBCU faculty,
staff, and administrators. Leaders and staff from the
Department of Education have contacted all targeted campuses.
Secretary Cardona and I have had one-on-one conversations
with some students and campus presidents. We also visited
several HBCUs to learn firsthand about what is being done to
support students and what needs remain unmet. I have also
spoken directly with HBCU alumni and community leaders about
the effects of these bomb threats. Every college student and
every president said that they will not be deterred from
providing or receiving an education. We also heard that campus
leaders do not have all the resources at their disposal to
respond appropriately to the ongoing threats and are not fully
aware of the resources available through the Federal Government
to assist.
In direct response to these needs, just yesterday, Vice
President Kamala Harris, alongside Secretary Cardona, announced
that targeted institutions are eligible for Project SERV grants
from the Department of Education. These grants provide short-
term funding to educational institutions that have experienced
a violent or traumatic event, and can be used to help to
restore the learning environment. The Vice President also
announced a resource compendium that describes a range of
services and various roles of different Federal agencies in
responding to these threats.
In closing, let me reiterate we condemn these threats and
will do our part to support HBCUs and their students. We
recognize that there is tension in our larger society that can
sometimes spill over into our educational institutions. Whether
it is a school shooting, a bomb threat, or other form of
intimidation, they have no place in our schools or colleges and
will not be tolerated. We are committed to working with each of
you and our colleagues from other Federal agencies to protect
our campuses and keep our schools safe.
Thank you, and I am pleased to answer any questions that
you may have.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back, and I thank
all of the participants for their testimony today.
I now recognize myself for five minutes for questions.
There is a long history of threats of violence against
Black institutions, including churches, schools, and communal
spaces. These threats are intended to intimidate and terrorize
the people who attend these institutions. So it is critical
that the Federal Government does everything, absolutely
everything, in its power to respond to these threats and to
prevent new ones. I would like to ask Mr. Young, in addition to
investigating the threats, the FBI builds partnerships with
public and private sector institutions to increase information
sharing and collaboration. How can this effort benefit HBCUs
that have been or may be targeted by threats?
Mr. Young. Good morning, Congresswoman. Again, thank you
for this question. For us, and I wanted to rely on my comments,
this is our highest priority right now. This is run by our
Counterterrorism Division. It is being led by the Joint
Terrorism Task Force in those offices. The investigation is
spread across 31 field offices. And because of challenges with
the investigation, we have added on other divisions from the
Criminal Investigative Division to our Operation Technology
Division, to our Cyber Division, as well as our Weapons of Mass
Destruction. To ensure that we can manage the information flow,
within two days of the notification of these bomb threats, we
hosted our first call with presidents and the security of those
institutions to make sure that we could share exactly what was
happening, understanding, make sure that they were prepared,
understood that their safety was our highest priority, and we
wanted to make sure that they remain vigilant. And as we say in
our business a lot, if they see something, say something
because it is tips from these universities, from people, from
bystanders that are our most prominent leads.
One of the other things we have been asked is, is
encryption effective. Some of these threats have come in
through encrypted platforms, which is challenging for
attribution. When it comes to sharing information, it is
absolutely vital that we have brought all of our state, and
local, and Federal partners into these calls so that they could
be aware of any of these issues in their territories. We also
directed, by Director Wray, for field office leaders to reach
out to those institutions, meet with those presidents, and keep
those lines of communication. And us in partnership and
lockstep with DHS, we have continued to host calls with our law
enforcement partners and make sure that we continue to give
adequate updates.
With that, we share intelligence. We share intelligence
through not only our 56 field offices, but as well as our
fusion centers to make sure that, like I say, going back, that
these institutions remain vigilant. We do not want anything to
lull into complacency. As my colleague in DHS said, we have not
found bombing devices at any of these locations, but we have to
treat these the exact same way as the highest priority, and
make sure that we got our subject matter experts and bomb
technicians responding and conducting a thorough investigation
the same way every time.
Chairwoman Maloney. Well, thank you. I understand we can't
ask you anything about your investigations, the progress of
them or how you are progressing. So I do want to know, if these
threats aren't addressed by law enforcement, is there a risk
that these students may be intimidated from attending HBCUs?
There could be dire consequences. I guess that is a better
question to an educator, so let me ask you this. There has been
a lot of allegations of foreign influence in our country. Do
you see or suspect any foreign influence in this type of attack
that is taking place, and what does the FBI think is causing
it? I have been an educator my whole life. I have never seen
this ever, ever, ever before. Why is it emerging now? Do you
have any sense of what is causing this?
Mr. Young. To the first part of your question, ma'am, we do
not see any foreign influence. We do see foreign influence on a
lot of our other matters, and that is a very high priority,
especially when it comes to elections. The challenge of this,
what we have seen, the rise of this has been common with what
we have seen in the number of investigations. There is divisive
capability. I think there is an understanding that people are
online and are radicalizing a lot more, and I think that there
is a sense of they want to target and intimidate this
community, and that is why this is our highest priority. We do
not want to diminish any aspirations of students that are
attending those schools, and that is why this remains, as our
director said, our highest priority.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you, and we look to future
updates. I would like to turn to Dr. Cooper. What steps is the
Board of Education taking to ensure that HBCU students,
parents, and school administrators understand their security is
a top priority of the Federal Government, that the FBI and
every other body that has responsibility is turning their
attention to helping them?
Ms. Cooper. Thank you for your question. At the Department
of Education, we do not tolerate any form of hatred, bias, or
discrimination. We, too, are prioritizing our support to
historically Black colleges and universities and working
alongside other government agencies to do a multi-agency
response, to make sure that we are all doing our part to ensure
the safety and well-being of these campuses. Earlier this year,
actually right immediately after the initial threats came,
Secretary Cardona, our Education Secretary, alongside Secretary
Mayorkas from Homeland Security, hosted a webinar and briefing
where they brought together HBCU leaders to talk about the
response and to really hear and listen to what their needs were
in contending and dealing with these threats, and to make sure
that they were aware that there were government services and
supports available to them.
There was also a subsequent briefing that was co-
facilitated through our White House Initiative on HBCUs. It was
hosted through their Campus Safety and Security Cluster, which
is coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security and the
Department of Justice. And the cluster brought together well
over 300 participants from HBCU campuses to talk more about
what to do in a bomb threat, what the resources are, and things
of that nature.
In addition to that, we have done direct outreach to these
campuses. Our goal has been to listen to and engage with HBCU
leaders and students, and there has been a representative, a
leader from the Department of Education who has reached out to
each and every campus. In addition to that, Secretary Cardona,
our undersecretary, and I have visited several of these
campuses to see firsthand how they are contending with the
response and to get a sense of what additional resources, what
else we would be able to do to support them. In doing that, we
heard several things. We heard consistently, just as we heard
from the students on the prior panel, that these threats were
clearly intended to invoke fear and intimidation. But among the
students, among the administrators, among faculty, there is the
spirit of strength and resilience, and that was consistent at
each and every campus.
We also heard that the mental health needs of students and
the campus community have been exacerbated. You have to
remember, as you know, we are all living through this pandemic,
and the Black and brown communities have been hit really hard
by the pandemic. And that was talked about a great deal,
especially in our visit we made to North Carolina Central where
Secretary Cardona hosted a roundtable on mental health.
Chairwoman Maloney. The time----
Mr. Comer. Madam Chair?
Chairwoman Maloney. I know. They are pointing out that my
time has long expired.
Ms. Cooper. Oh, OK.
Chairwoman Maloney. Everything you are saying is very
important, but my time has long expired, so I now recognize the
gentleman from Florida. I went tremendously over with my time,
so I yield as much time as he may need to express and ask the
questions that are deeply concerning to him. And thank you for
bringing this important issue to our attention. I yield.
Mr. Donalds. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Madam Chair,
first, what I would like to do, Ms. Cooper, I probably want to
give you another 30 seconds to finish your thoughts. I think
you are on an important line there. I want to just give you the
opportunity to finish your thoughts there.
Ms. Cooper. Sure. I will definitely talk about how we heard
about mental health, and also it is really important to know
that we heard from campus leaders that the threats highlighted
the vulnerabilities in their security infrastructure. They all
had emergency plans, but these threats have been helped them to
see that they need to modernize, and that all of the resources
that they needed at their disposal were not yet available to
respond appropriately to these threats.
Mr. Donalds. Thank you so much. Dr. Cooper, my apologies. I
want to obviously recognize your credentials. My next question
is actually to Mr. Young and Mr. Haglund. It is kind of a joint
question. Obviously, we know that the FBI is still in the
process of doing their investigations on these threats. Can you
both kind of speak to what is the response time to HBCUs when
these threats are issued? How long does it take for your team
to get on the ground, do the initial investigations, and kind
of give an all clear so that students and faculty can return
back to normal operating procedures on campus?
Mr. Young. Congressman, I can start, then I can turn it
over to my colleague at DHS. One of the things that we have
asked on our calls, and one of the things that we have asked
our leaders that are engaging with these, you know, HBCU
presidents, is, you know, time is of the essence. The faster
they can get that notification of the hateful message, as fast
as they can get it to us, time is of an urgency. One, we treat
these as they are absolutely a bomb threat with the
understanding that there could be a bomb on the other end.
These are run by our Joint Terrorism Task Force, but they are
run parallel with the state and local law enforcement in those
areas. Because it is a bomb threat, we are going to respond
with bomb technicians, and there will be bomb technicians with
the state and locals, the FBI. The Hazardous Device School
trains all bomb technicians across the United States so that we
understand and we look at these threats the same way, and we
are interchangeable on the scene.
Once we get to those different locations, it depends on the
size of the location if there is any specificity to where the
bomb could be or where that threat came in. Because they come
in from different measures, we will also be looking to our
folks looking at cyber to look to see if we can serve
immediately legal process to identify attribution that gives us
additional leads. I can't give you an exact timeframe because
every situation is going to be a little bit different, but,
again, you know, we are treating these as the highest priority,
and we are responding with our best assets.
Mr. Donalds. Mr. Haglund, I don't know if you want to add
to that or----
Mr. Haglund. Yes, sir, Congressman, if I could please. So
through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's
regional field course, we do have the ability to follow that
initial response by law enforcement personnel at a very rapid
pace. So those regional staff members would come in after the
resolution of that immediate crisis to then be able to offer
the types of products and services that we develop out of the
Office for Bombing Prevention. And so, optimally, we would like
to come in prior to an event and provide those training and
awareness resources, but certainly after an event, we can come
in. We have a range of awareness products, learning
instructional type videos, one-on-one, in-person courses where
we can deliver onsite. And those courses really serve to then
build that preparedness, and resilience, and just awareness of
the threat.
And so we have courses that allow folks to identify the
difference between unattended and suspicious packages or items,
bomb threat search procedures, bomb threat management plan
development. And so those regional staff members can follow in
very quickly to provide those amplifying resources to build
that preparedness for future events. Thank you.
Mr. Donalds. No. Thank you. I will wrap up here. I just
want to really thank, obviously, the witnesses, FBI, CISA, OBP,
and, obviously, the Department of Education in your response to
HBCUs and these threats. I think it is important. I think it
goes without, frankly, saying that we take all of these threats
against any university seriously, specifically with what
appears to be systematic threats against HBCUs. And we would
just implore you guys to continue your investigative efforts to
bring those responsible to justice as quickly as possible.
With that, I yield back to the chair.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back. The
gentlelady from the District of Columbia, Ms. Norton, is
recognized.
Ms. Norton. I thank you, Madam Chair, for this important
hearing, and it is very timely. It comes right when it should.
I want to thank all of the witnesses and to especially
acknowledge Kylie Burke who attends Howard University here in
my district, the District of Columbia.
Among the, at least it looks like, 36 HBCUs that have
received bomb threats since the beginning of the year, two of
them, Howard University and the University of the District of
Columbia, have been among those who have received threats, and
some HBCUs have received multiple threats. Now, we are
fortunate that there have been no actual bombings, but every
one of these threats have significantly disrupted the lives of
students and, of course, of the entire educational institution.
Mr. Haglund, is there any way to approach these threats with
fewer disruptions?
Mr. Haglund. Thank you, Congresswoman. So the resources
that we provide out of the Office for Bombing Prevention in
many ways specifically look to do that. That consequence
mitigation or consequence management is woven throughout those
resources, and the resources are really intended to cover the
spectrum, from students to faculty to security staff, and weave
that common methodology of bomb threat management throughout
that entire community. And so in terms of being able to restore
activities more quickly if the bomb threat management plan is
in effect and people are aware of the steps to take through
that plan that can certainly be a key factor, a key tool in
minimizing that type of consequence.
And just in general terms, more awareness of the nature of
the threat, how these threats can be categorized and responded
to, our partnership with law enforcement, that sharing of
information, all those elements through the various resources
that the Office for Bombing Prevention provides, I think helps
restore those services more quickly, alleviate some of the
tension involved that you would normally, you know, obviously
experience in a bomb threat situation, and meet those needs
that you are referring to.
Ms. Norton. Thank you. Well, we recognize that it takes
working together, that the FBI and law enforcement can't do
this by themselves. So this question is for Mr. Young. Mr.
Young, how can HBCU administrators work with law enforcement to
minimize the distraction these bomb threats cause?
Mr. Young. Thank you, Congresswoman. I would say we have
reached out, I think, through those HBCUs. We have worked with
the IT departments in those institutions to make sure that we
get information as quickly as possible. As you may be aware,
the majority of these threats have come in by phone, you know,
unfortunately. We are trying to minimize disruption. You know,
the students' safety, the safety of those schools is our utmost
and highest priority. So, you know, us getting time on target,
sharing, you know, our procedures, our requests, making sure
that we continue to engage with the presidents at all levels of
the school, and the security of that school is vitally
important to, you know, minimize as much disruption as
possible.
Ms. Norton. Dr. Cooper, these students have been through a
lot with coronavirus, entirely new ways of attending school.
Are students missing out because of these disruptions? How
detrimental are these shutdowns and class cancellations on the
student experience or the educational experience?
Ms. Cooper. Thank you for your question. In terms of are
the students missing out, I would say no because the campus
communities, they are rallying to support one another. The
broader HBCU community, which includes alumni, are doubling
down on their efforts to make sure that the students stay
supported and that campus leaders are supported. But I do think
that we cannot underestimate the dual trauma that has occurred,
the trauma that has been brought forward by the pandemic and
now with these bomb threats. And mental health is a serious
issue, and I think that we are doing our best to make sure that
these institutions have the resources to respond appropriately.
Ms. Norton. Thank you. My time has expired.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. We now recognize the
gentleman from Wisconsin. Mr. Grothman is recognized.
Mr. Grothman. Thank you. Just, you know, playing around on
the internet as we do when a new topic comes up, I wasn't aware
this was so common. I see that Harvard in their stuff say that
they get a several bomb threats a year, and I guess my own alma
mater, the University of Wisconsin, had to empty two buildings
last year because of bomb threats. I would think that sometimes
when threats are called in, they are investigated by local
police. Sometimes it comes through the FBI. This is for Ryan
Young. How many bomb threats a year do you guys investigate?
Mr. Young. I don't have that data at this moment, sir, but
we can give it to you. I will say for us, we have seen, you
know, targeted efforts and hate crimes rising over the past
couple years. But, again, you know, the American people, their
safety, you know, our commitment to their safety is always
going to be the highest priority. Going back, I mean, this----
Mr. Grothman. You must have some idea, don't you? A
thousand, 50? Are most of them----
Mr. Young. I don't have that, sir. I don't have that number
right at this time, sir, but I will get it to you and your
staff.
Mr. Grothman. OK. I was asked to help out with a bomb
threat a while ago in my district. There was a threat to a
grade school, several grade schools around the country
actually, and it turned out it was just one person actually
issuing the threats from another country. But it was amazing
the damage and fear that one person could do, and in that case
they did track down someone. You haven't tracked down anybody
on these threats yet. So we can kind of understand what is
going on here, just guess at the number of threats you have
actually tracked down, or give us some examples of people who
make bomb threats in the background that the FBI has succeeded
in tracking down.
Mr. Young. In regards to this, you know, we are over 59
threats, as has been said earlier. Some of these institutions
have received multiple threats. Most of them, the majority,
overwhelming majority, are coming by phone. Some of these have
come in by encrypted platforms. It is across 31 field offices,
but we do have this narrowed down to a group.
Mr. Grothman. I mean, in the country as a whole. I am not
talking about separation of these guys yet. How many people a
year does the FBI, about, arrest or identify as making bomb
threats, and then we can maybe talk about what motivates these
people.
Mr. Young. I can get you that. I can get you that number,
sir.
Mr. Grothman. You don't know? About 50, 100? You don't
know.
Mr. Young. I will say, sir, it is well more than 100.
Mr. Grothman. That you catch. That you catch.
Mr. Young. I can get you the numbers that we catch, but
there are a number of bomb threats, and some of them, you know,
are never caught, unfortunately.
Mr. Grothman. So you catch about over 100 people a year
phoning in bomb threats or emailing in bomb threats.
Mr. Young. I will get you that number, sir. I was prepared
for this matter and places of worship and our procedures.
Mr. Grothman. OK. I mean, the one I dealt with, I think it
took them about three weeks, and it was a pretty good job when
they caught him because it was somebody from another country,
which kind of amazed me they were able to catch him, and he
made lots of calls or emails. I can't remember what he was
doing. But how long does it usually take between the time the
threat is called in and you guys do identify somebody?
Mr. Young. A lot of it depends on how it comes in. I would
say we get 5,000 tips a day. If we had a bomb threat come in,
we would treat that as a threat to life, so it requires an
immediate response. We run about 10 to 15 threat to lives a
day, and depending on if we can find attribution, if we can
find the video, if we have a prosecutor that we understand the,
you know----
Mr. Grothman. Right. What I am saying is, you must have
participated in some of these in the past.
Mr. Young. Yes.
Mr. Grothman. When somebody calls in a bomb threat and you
find somebody using phone records or whatever, how long is it
between when it is called in usually--just think of the ones in
your mind that you have dealt with personally--and the person
is eventually identified?
Mr. Young. Some we have identified that day. Some have
taken much longer because of the complications of how those
were called in.
Mr. Grothman. Percentage-wise, how often you find somebody?
I mean, do usually expect to find somebody? You must----
Mr. Young. Sir, we are going to treat these things
seriously. We are going to give them all high priority, our
best resources. I can get you the numbers of----
Mr. Grothman. You have no idea. If I say I got a bomb
threat at University of Wisconsin in Madison and we call the
FBI, what are the chances you can identify this person? You
have no idea. You catch them 10 percent of the time, 60 percent
of the time, you have no idea.
Mr. Young. I don't have that information at this time.
Mr. Grothman. OK. Well, thanks.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Raskin, is now recognized.
Mr. Raskin. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Haglund, does the
fact that none of these bomb threat suspects have been
identified yet suggest that it is of a common origin, that
there is one person or one group working together and that they
are professionals, if you will? Would you expect out of a group
of 59 bomb threats, at least for one or two, a handful, to be
solved?
Mr. Haglund. Congressman, thank you for your question. I
would respectfully just suggest that that is more of a law
enforcement perspective.
Mr. Raskin. OK. Mr. Young, can ask you to opine on that?
Mr. Young. Could you repeat the question, sir?
Mr. Raskin. Well, my question is, if there were 59 bomb
threats leveled at the HBCUs and none of the cases have been
solved, does that suggest that that somebody is working
together, or maybe it is one person, or it is one group of
people, and that they have been able to, you know, conceal
themselves? Would you expect out of a group of 59 bomb threats,
if they were all from different sources, that at least a few of
them would have been identified, the culprits?
Mr. Young. Like I say, at present, sir, we believe we have,
you know, the majority selected down to one person and a small
group. Our concern after that is some maybe copycats, and that
is where our investigation is at.
Mr. Raskin. Got you. You know, there were pipe bombs left
at the Republican National Committee and the Democratic
National Committee on January 6th as part of the violence that
was targeting the Capitol. And I remember talking to one
Capitol officer who said the ones who threaten don't bomb and
the ones who bomb don't threaten. Is that your experience, that
the threats generally are not followed up with actual bombing,
but when there is going to be a violent attack, they don't give
notice?
Mr. Young. I think consistently with, you know, where the
bombs have either, you know, been put together as we saw with,
like, the package bombs that targeted a number of Congress, you
know, there was not the same warning. And I think that is
consistent with what you saw with the devices that were placed
at the RNC and DNC.
Mr. Raskin. Mr. Young, Ms. Mace spoke of the fact when she
was at the Citadel and she was the first woman graduating, or
among the first women graduating, that there were, I can't
remember if she said a bomb threat or certain kind of violent
threats, leveled there. Do you find that these threats come at
occasions of public prominence like Black History Month, like
the first woman graduate from an institution, and so on?
Mr. Young. I don't have that exact data, sir, but I think
for us, we do think with the bomb threats, you know, at the
beginning of February at Black History Month, we believe this,
and we have treated this as domestic terrorism. We believe that
this is, you know, meant to inflict harm, you know, with the
African-American population attending those schools. And I
would like to add that there was also a number of historically
Black churches that have been included in these bomb threats as
well.
Mr. Raskin. Right, and, of course, there has been a history
of actual bombs and fires at historically Black churches. OK
that is all I have got, and, Madam Chair, again, thanks to you
for calling the hearing, and I yield back to you.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentleman from Louisiana, Mr. Higgins, is recognized.
Mr. Higgins.
Mr. Higgins. Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this
hearing, and I thank the ranking member and my colleagues here
today, and the witnesses. Madam Chair, there should be no
systemic fear at our colleges and churches in America. That
should not be a dynamic that Americans should have to consider
on a regular basis. The fear of a terrorist act should just not
be a regular condition that Americans have to consider in our
universities, our churches, or anywhere else. So it is
completely appropriate that we investigate this, and I very
much appreciate that this hearing has been called and that our
panelists have come forward.
I would like to dig into the statistics a little bit so
that we can put this in perspective. And, Agent Young, I am
going to be asking you some specific questions, sir, from your
law enforcement perspective. As a police officer myself, I
personally responded to bomb threats. Generally, the suspects
that you ultimately identify there, if you are able to, are
generally more mischievous actors than perhaps should be
considered with actual violent intent. But the impact of the
bomb threats, especially when we look from a historical
perspective within our historically Black colleges, and
churches, and universities, you know, that is a disruption.
That is the level of fear that we should absolutely investigate
in the most aggressive manner possible, and arrests should be
made.
So I am going to jump into the numbers here, Agent Young.
My own research shows that there is a great swing in reported
cases of bomb threats annually: 1,693 in 2014 to 1,670 in 2015,
drops to 1,536 in 2016, down to 1,228 in 2017, back up to 1,627
in 2018, and the 2020 numbers are half of that, down to 818. So
I suspect that if you dig into the raw data of those
statistics, the FBI would reveal that there was a couple of
very active suspects that were identified and stopped.
So this year, 59 historically Black colleges and
universities have been targeted with bomb threats. That is
absolutely unacceptable, and this committee is looking for
guarantees from the FBI that there are going to be arrests
made. Now, you say that you have identified one particular
suspect, a juvenile that you believe is responsible for the
majority of these threats, Agent Young. Is that correct?
Mr. Young. Thank you, Congressman. That is consistent with
the messages that we have shared with both law enforcement and
with the historically Black colleges----
Mr. Higgins. OK. So we have identified one disturbed and
troubled youngster that is allegedly likely responsible for the
majority of this steep increase in threats. So can we expect
that the March numbers will be more in line with the 4-, 5-, 6-
year trends that we can look at from FBI statistics, because
that would help America to be reassured that the FBI has
responded effectively and professionally. If you have
identified a young man, and surely you have interaction with
him, which means he has stopped. So can we expect the March
numbers to be back in line with regular annual numbers?
Mr. Young. I can't give you that commitment at this time,
sir. I mean, in the end, it is going to----
Mr. Higgins. Has the juvenile suspect been interviewed by
the FBI?
Mr. Young. I can't give you any updates on that.
Mr. Higgins. Well, you say he has been identified. I
imagine he has been interviewed. So, Madam Chair, let me just
say that we expect guarantees from the FBI that arrests will be
made and there should be consequences because we will just not
sit idly by and allow American citizens to consider terrorist
threats a regular condition of their daily life, whether it is
at universities, churches, work, or anywhere else. We expect
the FBI to perform. Thank you, Madam Chair, for holding this
hearing, and I yield.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentleman from Maryland,
Mr. Mfume, is recognized.
Mr. Mfume. Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Good morning. I
want to thank you and the ranking member for convening us on
what everybody clearly agrees is a very, very important and
timely topic. My thanks also to Chair Raskin, who chairs the
Subcommittee on Civil Rights, and to Mr. Donalds for bringing
this matter to the committee's attention immediately, and for
Representative Adams, who joins us today as a non-committee
member, but someone who has spent her entire life in South
Carolina and around the country fighting for and advocating on
behalf of historically Black colleges and universities.
And may I just say also, even though their presence is not
noted here on the program, the organizations that have worked
to service historically Black colleges and universities through
the good times and the bad times are the United Negro College
Fund, NAFEO, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. We
appreciate their work. It has been ongoing and not just
evidenced as a result of this issue. And this issue, quite
frankly, is one of racial hatred, and I don't know any other
way to put that. Hate radio, hate speech, hate crimes, and hate
acts have manifested themselves over time and, today, have
brought us into the convening of this meeting because it is,
again, affecting historically Black colleges and universities.
And I say ``again'' because this is not a new phenomenon, but
it is racial hatred, and it doesn't bode well with us, and it
doesn't say much, I think, about the country that we love.
It continues to dominate too many aspects of American life,
both at home and sometimes even abroad. And it particularly
affects, in this case, a race of people who have suffered,
endured, and survived two centuries of slavery, oppression,
deprivation, degradation, denial, and dis-privilege. And so the
fact that we are talking about this says that while we may have
come a long, long way, we clearly as a Nation have a long, long
way to go.
I want to say to the students, who I hope are still with
us, that you gave excellent testimoneys and should be proud of
the way you represented your respective colleges and
universities. Most of us, Madam Chair, would have never
imagined being asked to give testimony before a congressional
committee at the age of 23 or 24. And so I hope for these
students that the service that they provide today and have
provided will serve as a precursor of what I hope will be a
life of service and a life of activism that lies before each of
them. They are our best and our brightest, and their
testimoneys were very much appreciated.
Madam Chair, like several other members of this committee
have expressed, I, too, am a graduate of a historically Black
college and university. It is Morgan State University, just 40
miles from the capital in Baltimore, founded four years after
Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. And for
the last 155 years, Morgan State University has been turning
out men and women who have contributed to our society, like so
many other historically Black colleges and universities. In my
instance, not only was I a graduate, but after I finished
completing my graduate work elsewhere, came back, and I have
served on the board of regents at that university. I have been
on that board for over 32 years now, and for the last 10 years,
I have actively served as chairman of the board of regents. So
my view on this, my perch, my perspective is one that I think
is close enough to be able to, with some level of assuredness,
articulate what I think the issue is here in a way that draws
me right back to what I said before: it really is about racial
hatred.
Dr. David Wilson is the president of Morgan State
University. He has given a number of testimoneys on panels like
this and on the national media networks. I would like to ask
with unanimous consent to have his last official testimony
representing this particular issue of these threats at HBCUs
entered into the formal record of these proceedings.
Chairwoman Maloney. Without objection.
Mr. Mfume. Thank you very much. I am running out of time,
but I want to underscore what I said earlier. This is not a new
phenomenon. For the last 150, 160 years, Black colleges and
universities have continued to face an inordinate amount of
threats against their operation. And to the extent that this
hearing helps to underscore that and publicize it, again, I
want to commend you and the other members of this committee for
convening us this day. And I yield back any time I have
remaining.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back, and the
gentleman from Pennsylvania, Mr. Keller, is now recognized. Mr.
Keller.
Mr. Keller. Thank you, Madam Chair, and Ranking Member
Comer, and to our witnesses for being here today.
Violence on any level is unacceptable. This topic is
especially pertinent now as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
However, we here in the United States cannot advocate for peace
internationally without also addressing violence within our own
borders. In many cities across the United States, violent crime
rates are at an all-time high. Murders increased by 25 percent
in 2020, disproportionately affecting minorities. Black
Americans were 10 times more likely to be homicide victims than
their white counterparts. Mr. Young, as a member of law
enforcement, what effect do you think defunding and decreasing
police forces would have on the already high crime rates?
Mr. Young. I would say we stand with our law enforcement
partners. We find them essential to addressing crime. We have
seen a number of crimes that have come up over the last couple
years. One of those things that we are talking about today,
hate crimes, hate crimes with victims, we have a 55-percent
increase with African-American-targeted crimes. I can't say
that the problem would get any easier with less law enforcement
on the streets. We find them absolutely vital to sharing
information, ensuring that we get what is happening in their
areas, and being able to paint that national threat picture
across many of our programs.
Mr. Keller. And so, again, I guess I would just sort of
ask, which sectors of our population would experience the
greatest impact from these kind of policies?
Mr. Young. I would say based upon our current statistics, I
would say it is, you know, definitely, you know, inner city,
high-population areas, areas of low income, you know, areas
that have different minorities and diaspora communities that
may not understand the threat intimidation, that they have
their civil rights, and I think this would be a continued
challenge. And I think, you know, with hate crimes, we have
mandatory federally required reporting, but we do not have that
with the state and locals, and we believe that is a gap. The
more accurate data we have, the better conclusions and better
decisions we can make with our money, our resources, and our
engagement with our law enforcement partners.
Mr. Keller. So basically, it would be those sectors of our
country, those people, those that have advocated for defunding
police and so on. It would be those people they profess to care
so much about. I guess I just want to go on to the next thing.
Threats against any American should not be tolerated, but
threats against our students are especially intolerable.
Schools should be an environment in which students can grow,
learn, and develop their skills, not one that they learn to
fear. Mr. Haglund, what can Congress do to ensure the safety of
our students across all sectors, including historically Black
colleges and universities?
Mr. Haglund. Thank you, Congressman. So immediately
following the latest round of threats that we have seen, the
CISA Regional Field Force prioritized this effort and began a
direct engagement with the HBCUs. To date, all the HBCUs have
been directly contacted. Fifty-five have responded with
specific interest in the resources that the Office for Bombing
Prevention can provide. We have scheduled six courses already.
As I mentioned in my opening comments, this Saturday we have
the training event scheduled with the Atlanta University Center
Consortium, and so we have received a tremendous amount of
interest in these resources.
And so the resources exist. Obviously, we are surging right
now to meet this demand, but I think the biggest thing that we
can do, that you can help us with, that our communities can do,
is elevate the awareness that these resources exist. They are
readily available. These are valuable resources that can be
used to elevate preparedness to build the strength and
resilience that you have heard from these students, and help
support them in dealing with this threat.
Mr. Keller. Thank you. I appreciate that, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentlelady from Michigan, Ms. Tlaib, is recognized for
five minutes or as much time as she may need.
Ms. Tlaib. Thank you so much, Chairwoman. I really
appreciate this hearing. You know, we are only 76 days into
2022, and yet in these short two-and-a-half months, we, of
course, have heard that 36 of our amazing historically Black
colleges and universities have received bomb threats. Eighteen
of those, as we all know, came on the first day of Black
History Month. There is no explanation for this other than
racist desire to terrorize Black communities across our
country. I know the people in my district know this sort of
violence and hate all too well. Many of my neighbors and
residents are lifelong fighters in our collective struggle for
equity, respect, and peace in our country. The dates may have
changed, but the tactics and the racist hate remain the same.
So now, Mr. Young, I understand you cannot answer questions
about ongoing investigations into the current bomb threats, but
I do hope that you may have some answers for the American
people. One question I do have, and, again, I hope that you do
understand this, and I will be contacting the Department of
Justice in regards to some of these issues. But how many
Federal criminal statutes exist right now that covers Federal
crimes of terrorism?
Mr. Young. I would have to get you those different----
Ms. Tlaib. From what I know, Mr. Young, it is about 57
different Federal criminal statutes. Fifty-one of them apply to
cases the Federal Government designates domestic terrorism. I
know Congress already codified the definition ``domestic
terrorism'' in Federal criminal law in 2001. I just hope we are
actually having the will and the courage to enforce it. So, Mr.
Young, I know one of my colleagues did ask this question, but,
you know, I am wondering is it that you don't know the answer
or you all are not collecting the information of how many bomb
threats were made against HBCUs in 2021, 2020, and 2019.
Mr. Young. I believe that we would collect that data,
ma'am. I don't have that data with me at this time.
Ms. Tlaib. I mean, OK. It is ironic because we have a
hearing, but I do want our committee members to know whether or
not the FBI actually tracks these domestic terrorism acts
toward Black colleges, so we will followup. How many arrests
were made in connection with the bomb threats against HBCUs
during those years, and did any of those arrests result in
prosecution, sir?
Mr. Young. I will get you that data, ma'am. I don't have
that with me at this time.
Ms. Tlaib. Do we know of any arrests in connection to any
of the bomb threats been made?
Mr. Young. I don't know at this time, but I am positive
that my organization does.
Ms. Tlaib. You know, Mr. Young, and to all my colleagues, I
don't think we need new laws or statutes. What we do need is a
will and political courage to take this crisis in our country
very seriously. It isn't just protecting our historical Black
colleges, you all. It is about communities of color across our
country. It is about Black-led churches, Black-led
organizations. What this all says to me is what Black and brown
communities have been saying to me and for all of us for
decades is the FBI, an agency founded by a white supremacist
whose headquarters is still proudly named after Mr. Hoover,
systematically fails to protect Black and brown communities in
our country.
The FBI clearly has a troubled history of failing Black and
brown Americans, and it is time that we all work together to
change it. After all, as the FBI's failure to pay attention to
this issue suggests, our government is indeed failing to arrest
people and prosecute them for making bomb threats against
HBCUs. Violent racists are effectively being given, right now
because we are not doing this, the green light to continue to
terrorize my Black neighbors because our government has failed
to adequately address this issue. And, Madam Chair, I want to
urge the FBI and our committee to urge the FBI and Department
of Justice to take this extremely seriously and use current
laws that exist to investigate and prosecute these threats so
similar extremists are not emboldened to continue terrorizing
Black communities. It may be colleges today, but tomorrow the
same violent criminal will go to our local Black churches. We
have seen it already.
Again, thank you so much for this important hearing. Thank
you, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you so much. The gentlelady from
South Carolina, Ms. Mace, is recognized for five minutes.
Ms. Mace. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you all for
participating in this hearing this morning, which is very
important. As I mentioned earlier today when we had the
students from historically Black colleges and universities, I
want to thank them for being here as well. But I never knew as
an 18-year-old going into the Citadel that that experience
would prepare me for the job that I have today, serving South
Carolina's 1st congressional District and working on a number
of civil rights issues.
As I mentioned earlier, as the first woman to graduate from
the Citadel, I received many threats on my life, even a bomb
threat at my college graduation, and, frustratingly, that
threat was never resolved. And so I understand that frustration
when you have over 59 bomb threats in the first quarter of this
year and no arrests have been made. And I empathize with those
students and the colleges and universities that are having to,
unfortunately and unfairly, deal with this issue.
I also happen to represent a district in South Carolina's
1st Congressional District that, unfortunately and
devastatingly, has dealt with some of these issues that we are
broaching today, including six-and-a-half years ago, almost
seven years ago when a white supremacist came to Charleston,
South Carolina and murdered nine Black church members. I also
represent an area where Walter Scott was murdered, and also
more recently, just over a year ago, I represent the family of
Jamal Sutherland, who was tased to death in his jail cell for
missing a bond hearing that he had no constitutional
requirement to attend. And so the work that I have done on the
Civil Rights Subcommittee on Oversight has been very meaningful
and important work, and I want to thank those from the Federal
agencies and the students who are here today to answer some of
our questions.
I wish we had more data on the increase of threats at
HBCUs. It sounds like we don't have that. It sounds like
members from both sides of the aisle would like to request that
information because I would like to know more on the violent
crime statistics, how they have increased during COVID-19, the
kinds of threats. But I also would like to know the percentage
of threats that have been solved based on these investigations.
And so one of the questions I had for Assistant Director
Young today is, from a law enforcement perspective with these
threats at HBCUs, whether it is the FBI or not, can you speak
to what resources may or may not have been deployed across the
campuses when these threats have been happening? What has been
done to help communicate these threats clearly to students and
the campuses? How did the FBI respond? I would like to hear a
little bit more about that, please.
Mr. Young. Thank you, Congressman. Based upon the different
situations, and when they came in, and when those reports came
to us of the different threats, most of them, as I said, came
through telephone. Some came through email. Some came through--
--
Ms. Mace. My question is how did the FBI respond, how did
local law enforcement respond to these campuses, the students,
the administrative officials at these colleges and universities
when these threats happened?
Mr. Young. So we engaged with our local law enforcement.
Our local law enforcement in those areas respond. Our members
of our Joint Terrorism Task Force respond. Our bomb technicians
respond. Our Evidence Response Team responds, personnel that
can look at doing legal process for potentially subpoenas
because these are threat to life situations. We also, like I
say, with our local law enforcement, set up a perimeter, making
sure that we go through and clear. Like I say, K-9 resources
for bomb dogs are brought to those different locations to clear
as expedited as we can. We understand this is absolutely
disruptive. I mean, we call it terrorism for a reason.
Ms. Mace. Right. And then working with local law
enforcement, has that been successful with the threats to the
HBCUs? Do you feel like that has gone fairly well? It sounds
extensive, but the working together between state, and local,
and Federal authorities?
Mr. Young. Absolutely. Our partnerships with state and
locals are absolutely so vital to what we do in regards to, you
know, the violent crime task force or what we would say our
Joint Terrorism Task Force. We bring in a diverse population of
Federal and local law enforcement.
Ms. Mace. Thank you. I got two more things I want to
address real quick. I have 30 seconds left. As a state lawmaker
before coming to Congress, I worked on a law enforcement data
bill that would have prevented Dylann Roof from buying a gun
and going down and murdering nine Black church members in my
congressional district and wouldn't have affected anyone's
legal right to own a firearm as a Second Amendment supporter.
How important, I mean, is law enforcement data to the FBI in
assessing these threats?
Mr. Young. Data is absolutely essential to us being able to
make, you know, quick decisions I would say.
Ms. Mace. And one last question, ``yes'' or ``no.'' Would
defunding the police adversely affect Black, and brown, and
African-American communities if we were to do that when it
comes to these threats? ``Yes'' or ``no.''
Mr. Young. It would negatively affect all communities.
Ms. Mace. Thank you, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back.
The gentlelady from Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, is now
recognized.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you, Madam Chair. Three out of
four HBCUs in my home state of Florida were among those
recently targeted with bomb threats. For Floridians, these
threats brought back painful memories of the 1999 bombings that
actually occurred on FAMU's campus and the long history of
terrorism and racially motivated violence targeting the Black
community. We owe it to the students, professors, and campus
personnel who were traumatized and had their academic pursuits
disrupted by these cowardly threats to enhance our response to
domestic terrorism. The improvements needed include better
Federal and local law enforcement coordination, which really is
what prompts and drives my question.
Mr. Young, do you know if the FBI received an inquiry from
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on the threats that
were made to Florida HBCUs? And if so, can you broadly describe
how you are coordinating with FDLE?
Mr. Young. I am not aware about that piece, but I will say
that from my time as a long Florida resident and part of your
constituency, I would say the Florida Department of Law
Enforcement was a vital partner with the FBI. They were on a
number of our task forces as well as the Joint Terrorism Task
Force in the three offices in that state.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Would you be able to check
specifically on that question for me, please?
Mr. Young. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you so much. And what level of
coordination does the FBI have with campus police departments?
Do they have enough resources, and are there ways to further
leverage those relationships? Mr. Haglund, if you could help
answer that question, but, first, if we could have Mr. Young
answer.
Mr. Young. I am sorry, ma'am. I thought that question was
going----
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Mr. Young, no, that is directed to
you.
Mr. Young. Could you repeat?
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Sure. What level of coordination
does the FBI have with campus police departments, and do they
have enough resources, and are there ways to further leverage
those relationships?
Mr. Young. So we interact with a number of them. So there
are associations that represent those campus police. We also we
get them as members of our Joint Terrorism Task Force that we
engage with them at the working levels. We engage with them as
an assistant director in our Office of Partner Engagement. We
do a lot of coordination with those associations, sharing
intelligence, ensuring any time there is a threat that is
national, we make sure to put those products out broadly so
that they can protect campuses and institutions. So we hit them
at all levels, ma'am.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. OK. And, Mr. Haglund, actually I
have a different question for you. I understand that DHS is now
working directly with HBCUs to improve their security
procedures. And Florida A&M University, for example, is
actively working with DHS to enhance safety and security on
campus, including conducting threat assessments, training, and
outreach. What other actions can HBCUs take if they want to
have a proactive approach in preparation for potential threats?
Mr. Haglund. So the way our resources are structured in the
Office for Bombing Prevention are to make them as widely
accessible as possible and to meet the needs of everyone from
administrators, security professionals, down to everyday
citizens and students. And so if you look across the spectrum
of the resources that we offer, some are very basic awareness
type products: a card that you can keep by your phone to
annotate certain types of activity in terms of recording a bomb
threat where we could help law enforcement in their
investigation. There are short videos that are available
online. We have web-based classes. We have virtual instructor-
led webinar courses that we deliver, all the way up to the most
complex are those instructor-led courses that can be delivered
onsite. All those resources are delivered free of charge, so we
do have a pretty wide range and spectrum that ranges all the
way from the very technical to security professionals down to
that more information awareness type.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. OK. Well, coordinating with them and
communicating with them to make sure they are aware of that
would be incredibly helpful. Last, a signature event in my
state is the Florida Classic, the annual game between Bethune-
Cookman University and FAMU that stands as the largest Black
football game in the Nation. But the Classic is more than a
historic rivalry between the Rattlers and the Wildcats. It is a
national family and friend reunion that celebrates culture and
showcases amazing bands. It has drawn millions, literally, from
around the Nation to Central Florida. What unique security
challenges arise with these types of large, high-profile
events, and what resources can DHS bring to the table to help
ensure people continue to feel safe attending the Florida
Classic, because I can't stress how important that is for this
marquee event in our state. Mr. Haglund?
Mr. Haglund. Certainly. So through our regional staff, we
have the ability to support special events exactly like that,
and it could be things from the Super Bowl across the spectrum
to smaller-rated events at the local level. So I would suggest
that through that regional staff, they have the opportunity to
provide vulnerability assessments, to look at specific
facilities, and match the needed resources that aren't maybe
exclusive to the Office for Bombing Prevention but cover a
wider range of threats. And so through that process, through
the engagement with the CISA regional staff, they can match the
event directors with the right resources to support the
preparedness and planning efforts for those events.
Ms. Wasserman Schultz. Thank you. Interagency coordination
and information sharing with local law enforcement are crucial
to addressing hate crimes and extremist threats. Thank you,
Madam Chair, for this important hearing.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you, and the gentleman from
Kansas, Mr. LaTurner, is recognized for five minutes.
Mr. LaTurner. Thank you, Madam Chairwoman. Very quickly
before I begin with my questioning, I just want to note I have
a young lady from Kansas, Alexa Marshall, shadowing me today. I
am so glad to have her. And it is spring break, so all four of
Suzanne and my children are here, and the youngest is with me
this morning. He has been policing very militantly those not
wearing green today. I am glad to see most in this room look
safe. So I just wanted to welcome them and appreciate your
indulgence.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. [Inaudible] inclusion.
Mr. LaTurner. Absolutely. Mr. Haglund, in your testimony,
you talked about the Administration's National Strategy for
Countering Domestic Terrorism and it will improve the Federal
Government's prevention of and response to domestic terrorism.
Can you explain the specific ways that this new strategy
improves the United States' response to domestic terrorism
incidents?
Mr. Haglund. Congressman, so I will speak specifically to
our role in the Office for Bombing Prevention and would be
happy to get back with you with a broader DHS answer. Within
the Office for Bombing Prevention, we focus specifically on
that space that allows us to target preventing bombing attacks,
protecting against, mitigating the consequences of, and then
responding to those types of events. And so, as I mentioned
before, we do have a fairly broad spectrum of training
offerings that we provide. We provide just right around 700
courses per year to 22,000 students, and so we have a pretty
high capacity to support counter ID preparedness in that
perspective.
Across some of the other functionalities in our office, we
host the TRIPwire information sharing website. That is a
fantastic resource for us to share critical information that is
distilled down to a non-law enforcement sensitive level with
our partners so they can maintain situational awareness of the
threat. I would say between our TRIPwire website, our courses,
probably the best resource for people to reach out to is the
CISA.gov/OBP site. That is really a one-stop source to access
all of those resources that I have mentioned. And so that is
specifically what we do in that counter ID space.
Mr. LaTurner. Mr. Haglund, I also serve on the Homeland
Security Committee where I have had the opportunity to interact
with Director Easterly and discuss cybersecurity issues
affecting my district specifically. When she was testifying
before the committee in November, I spoke about a business in
my district which was the target of a ransomware attack. The
cost of halted operations, lost revenue, and the ransom, which
they did pay, was a huge burden on that business. Compared to
events like these where the impact is more easily identifiable
by looking at a business' ledgers, how can determinations be
made regarding the economic impact of a bomb threat to a
university?
Mr. Haglund. Congressman, I appreciate the question. I
think that would vary widely depending on the nature of the
bomb threat, how the response was conducted. I would be happy
to circle back with a more definitive answer. But generally, I
would say the economic impact can vary widely depending on how
the bomb threat plan is executed at a facility, the scope of
any impact, any curtailment of operations, and things of that
nature. So I would say it would vary significantly.
Mr. LaTurner. Dr. Cooper, you mentioned in your testimony
that you are working with HBCUs to identify specific needs as a
result of the current environment, referring to the increased
threats. What feedback have you received from these educational
institutions on what their needs are at this time?
Ms. Cooper. Yes, thank you for your question. So we have
heard consistently that there is a need for mental health
supports for their students and their staff, as well as the
need to shore up their infrastructure related to security and
things of that nature. And so those are the main things that we
are hearing, that the security system is outdated and needs to
be modernized, and these ongoing threats have shown us that
there is a vulnerability there.
And so in response to that, we have created a resource
compendium to make sure that the institutions know where they
can go to get access to resources across the Federal
Government, a multi-agency effort that is being coordinated
along with the others on this panel. So there is a resource
compendium that is now housed on the Department of Education's
website with the White House Initiative on HBCUs that outlines
all of those various resources. And we also are providing
Project SERV grants, which are small, one-time grants that can
help to restore the learning environment, and those funds could
be used to help with some things, such as crisis counselors.
Mr. LaTurner. Thank you. Really quickly, Assistant Director
Young, how can we improve the state and local partnership with
Federal agencies, like the FBI, to better address these types
of threats?
Mr. Young. I would say, you know, participating in the
different task forces, going to quarterly threat briefings,
making sure that you are engaged with the FBI because we share
a lot of intel. We share it at the lowest level so we can make
sure that it can go wide across the different departments and
municipalities. But engagement with all the Federal agencies is
vital at, you know, mitigating these threats.
Mr. LaTurner. Thank you, and thank you, Madam Chairwoman. I
yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you very much. Ms. Kelly from
Illinois is recognized.
Ms. Kelly. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Haglund, the Office
for Bombing Prevention was established in response to terrorist
events, such as the Oklahoma City bombing. The Bombing
Prevention Act of 2022, which would formally authorize your
office, was favorably reported by the House Homeland Security
Committee two weeks ago. One provision of the act directs the
Office for Bombing Prevention to provide, and I quote,
``training, guidance, assessments, and planning assistance to
the public and private sector to help counter the risk of
terrorist explosive threats.'' How does your office coordinate
with HBCUs to plan for and help counter bomb threats?
Mr. Haglund. Thank you, Congresswoman, and we are aware of
the Bomb Prevention Act and certainly look forward to reviewing
that in deeper detail. In terms of our engagement with the
HBCUs to prepare for and prevent these types of attacks, I
think, as I mentioned, we have a very robust field presence
through the CISA architecture, and so we have the opportunity
through those field forces to engage at that local level. And
they represent a wide range of interests that include physical
security as well as cybersecurity, subject matter expertise
when they engage with these HBCUs.
And so in terms of preparing for a bomb threat, certainly
they have full access to all the resources that we have in the
Office for Bombing Prevention, and they are really the conduit
between our headquarters' programs and delivery in the field.
And so through their subject matter expertise, their
relationships they build at the local level, they are able to
match those best resources to the needs and maybe capability
gaps that they determine exist at these facilities. And so like
we have seen already, several of the HBCUs that we have already
engaged with have requested either existing training or
specialized training that we can then deliver. And that is how
we best meet the needs of those individual institutions.
Ms. Kelly. Thank you so much. In preparing for this
hearing, we have heard anecdotally that not all HBCUs have the
same security measures in place for preventing and responding
to bomb threats. Have you found this, that some are more
prepared or have more resources than others? You know, what
level would you say the different colleges are at? Are some
really good, you know, prepared, and some not so much, some not
at all?
Mr. Haglund. So, Congresswoman, I think as you would
expect, there is a range. I don't have a definitive scope for
those, but what we are doing is through this series of
engagements that we have coming up over the next several weeks,
that will give us an opportunity to make some observations and
gather some lessons learned that might shed additional light on
that specific question.
Ms. Kelly. And then will you give those colleges and
universities that feedback once you find out?
Mr. Haglund. Exactly, and that is our best opportunity then
to match those resources where we see where there might be a
capability gap or lack of resources.
Ms. Kelly. The FBI recently reported that bomb threats are
occurring at an unprecedented rate in 2022 with at least 57
organizations, including, as was mentioned before, houses of
worship and HBCUs being targeted. Mr. Young, what can you tell
us about the increase in bomb threats this year and the types
of entities being targeted and why do you think that is? Is
there anything more besides racial targeting?
Mr. Young. I was going to say, you know, there is a, you
know, a myriad of reasons why, you know, people look to inflict
terror on different locations. You know, in regards to what we
have seen, based upon those messages for the historically Black
colleges and universities as well as those places worship,
those were absolutely hate crimes, and they were targeted at
that community to inflict fear. And it is our full intention to
bring those subjects to justice.
Ms. Kelly. Now, I have another question. I don't have any
historically Black colleges in my district or, frankly, in
Illinois, but we have minority-serving institutions, such as
predominantly Black institutions. Are they also being targeted?
We have minority-serving Black, minority-serving Latinx. What
about those institutions?
Mr. Young. I would say in regards to this matter, we have
had 59. Some other facilities were, you know, tied to
historically Black, you know, areas. Like I say, going back, is
we are always concerned with minorities and, you know,
communities of color being targeted.
Ms. Kelly. Well, I have, like, Chicago State University. I
know my time is running out, but I just hope they are getting
that, you know, attention also. Thank you so much to all the
witnesses.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentleman from Georgia,
Mr. Clyde, is now recognized for five minutes.
Mr. Clyde. Thank you, Madam Chair. The opportunity to seek
higher education in our country is a treasured experience that
has existed in America even before our Nation's founding. Our
founding fathers, and even those that came before them, took
great pride and often promoted education in America. These
institutions of higher learning should be places in which
students seek to increase their knowledge through peaceful
discourse and engagement in the curriculum of their choice, and
any legitimate security threat to that environment must be
taken seriously by a school's administration and our law
enforcement apparatus. All people are made in the image of God,
and all life is precious and should be cherished.
I thank the chairwoman and ranking member for agreeing to
my colleague and friend's request to engage on this important
issue as my home state of Georgia is represented by 10
historically Black colleges and universities.
Now, while the media has reported that some of the threats
were not credible and actually perpetrated by a juvenile
engaged in a grotesque hoax, I do recognize the seriousness
with which incidents like this must be approached and have
several questions for our FBI witness. So, Assistant Director
Young, in your testimony, I believe you said that most of the
threats came by phone. Is that correct? Can you confirm that,
or were some by email or by regular mail, or how did they come,
sir?
Mr. Young. So the majority, I think 55 came by phone, four
by email, one by an instant message, and one was posted on a
blog.
Mr. Clyde. OK. Thank you. And so were these threats
directed to the administrators, or did any come to students, or
how exactly were they received? Who was the end recipient?
Mr. Young. They were targeted at, you know, those
institutions, students at that institution. It was targeted
against, you know, the African Americans at those churches and
historically Black colleges.
Mr. Clyde. I am actually asking who the recipients of those
were as in, you know----
Mr. Young. Oh.
Mr. Clyde. Was the person who actually got the email, was
it an administrator or was it a student, or how did it actually
show up there?
Mr. Young. It came from different means, so some were on
the, you know, the help lines and different email addresses
that were set up for those institutions to collect information,
blogs that were associated. So, you know, different victims or
different people had seen those and reported them. We have
subsequently, you know, reached out in our engagement with
those universities to give them better procedures on, you know,
how to take, you know, different identifiers. Like I say, time
urgency on that, making sure that it gets to us as quickly as
possible.
Mr. Clyde. OK.
Mr. Young. And I think----
Mr. Clyde. All right. Thank you. And you said that no
devices were found. Is that correct?
Mr. Young. Yes, sir. There have been no devices, but we do
not want any of these institutions to be lulled into
complacency because that does not mean that one of these won't
be a real threat with a real device.
Mr. Clyde. Sure. Absolutely. Absolutely. Agree with that.
Now, in your opinion, were any of these threats actually
credible?
Mr. Young. We look at them as all credible, sir. We are
going to follow all leads. We are going to take all legal
process. We are going to, you know, build out----
Mr. Clyde. OK. When I say ``credible,'' I mean was the
person who actually made the threat, were they capable of
carrying through with the threat actually to a physical action
other than simply a verbal threat?
Mr. Young. I can't comment on that part of the
investigation, sir.
Mr. Clyde. OK. So you don't know. All right. All right. So
how many other bomb threats have been reported to the FBI so
far this year? Do you know that information?
Mr. Young. I don't have that, sir. I can get you that
information.
Mr. Clyde. OK. I would like to know that to know where we
are in context here.
Mr. Clyde. And then, so is this string of bomb threats at
HBCUs unique to this year, or were HBCUs targeted like this
last year and the years before?
Mr. Young. I don't know about these specific institutions.
I think when we look at our hate crime statistics that our
numbers have gone up with the African-American community. I
think----
Mr. Clyde. So for HBCUs, we had these kind of bomb threats
last year and the year before. Is that what you are telling me?
Mr. Young. No, that is that is not what I am saying, sir. I
would say that there are different communities of color,
different institutions that have consistently been a target of
terror, and, I was going to say, we investigate those as acts
of terror.
Mr. Clyde. OK. But this is the first year where we have
seen this kind of activity against HBCUs. Is that your
testimony?
Mr. Young. I would say this is the first time we have seen
a situation where the event started at the beginning of
February, which is, you know, Black History Month, in these
numbers in that coordinated effort. And going to what we think
the connected ones are with potential copycats, that is where
we would probably differentiate.
Mr. Clyde. OK. Well, thank you very much. I appreciate your
testimony, and just to note that when you have an increase in
crime and people are not punished for it, then you have an
increase in all sorts of crime. Thank you, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentlelady from Massachusetts, Ms. Pressley, is now
recognized.
Ms. Pressley. Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to the
panel of students who shared their stories and demonstrated so
clearly the brilliance of our Nation's HBCUs. The bomb threats
facing HBCUs really must be properly contextualized by
America's long history of anti-Blackness and white supremacist
violence against our community. So I really appreciate the
chair, you holding this space today. Even in the midst of this
hearing, we see some who would seek to underestimate and to
discredit the ferociousness of these threats.
For generations, there have been many seeking to intimidate
and terrorize Black folks, and they have intentionally targeted
pillars in our communities across the country, from the
recurrent attacks on our Black churches, including the bombing
of the 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four little Black
girls in 1963 in Alabama, to the predominantly Black churches
set ablaze by white men in my home state of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts mere hours after the election victory of
President Barack Obama. Along with our churches, our HBCUs have
been sources of community pride, the epicenters of Black
brilliance, and, yes, the constant targets of white
supremacists dating as far back as 1865 when arsonists killed
46 Black people at Lemoyne-Owen College in Tennessee, to the
1960's when Fisk University and North Carolina A&T received
numerous bomb threats. The string of threats in 2022 are not an
anomaly but a chilling chapter in the long and troubling crisis
of white supremacist violence.
Dr. Cooper, I would like to discuss the implications of
this long history of violent intimidation on Black academia
specifically. During enslavement, Black folks were lynched for
learning to read. During Jim Crow, we fought for equality in
education and still do today. Today, our HBCUs students are
being threatened with bombs. To a hate-filled few, there is
nothing more dangerous than an educated Black person. So, could
you speak to the reoccurrence of these threats, Dr. Cooper, and
what that impact is in generational trauma amongst those in the
HBCU community, and what would help prospective students, do
you think, feel secure in considering studying at an HBCU in
the future other than our, you know, dismantling white
supremacy and holding those accountable who commit these
egregious acts? But if you could just speak to that
generational trauma and what are you are hearing from the
student body as to what would help them to feel more secure.
Ms. Cooper. Thank you for your question. Certainly we
recognize that the current events have to be considered within
the current and historical context of race-based violence that
is, in fact, an unfortunate part of American history. We have
seen these types of threats and bombings before in the Civil
Rights era, but at the Department of Education, we do believe
that violence and fear do not belong in our educational
institutions. We believe that it is the responsibility of each
and every one of us to do our part to protect our students, and
we also believe that these bomb threats should not be taken
lightly.
HBCUs, they represent a small part of our higher education
system, yet they have an outsized impact and punch above their
weight. They enroll about 3 percent of Black students, yet they
are the producers of 40 percent of the engineers, 50 percent of
the lawyers, and over 70 percent of the doctors, teachers, and
judges. They come from HBCUs. So it is very important for us to
be responsive to these bomb threats and to take them very
seriously because these institutions have a very important role
in contributing to the economic work force and in the solvency
of America and our future.
Ms. Pressley. And so, in terms of prospective students or
current students, what have they expressed to you in terms of
any of their fears and what would allay those fears?
Ms. Cooper. The students are very concerned about the
ongoing nature of these threats, and their administrators are
being responsive to that in as many ways as they can. And for
our part, we are listening to them and doing our best to engage
and work alongside of them to be responsive to those needs. So
we have made sure that we are providing a resource compendium
so that administrators know where they can go in the government
to get access to the resources to support their students, and
we are allowing for Project SERV grants to be used as last-
dollar support to help with some outstanding needs that they
may have to help restore the learning environment. Students do
have strength and they have resiliency, and they believe that
they are going to continue, just like their predecessors, to
move forward with their education. They do not like the fact
that they have to continue to deal with these types of issues
even in this modern context of 2022, but they are moving
forward.
Ms. Pressley. Thank you. And I think it is so important
that we bring Congresswoman Adams' bill to the floor and
support this IGNITE bill for HBCUs who have been under
resourced but have been outsized in their contributions for
generations. Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you. The gentleman from Texas,
Mr. Fallon, is recognized for five minutes.
Mr. Fallon. Thank you, Madam Chair, and you look great in
green today on St. Patrick's Day of all days.
[Laughter.]
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
Mr. Fallon. I just heard one of our colleagues say, and I
am going to quote, ``There is nothing more dangerous than an
educated Black person.'' I could not disagree with that
statement more. I would like to say there is nothing more
wonderful than an educated American, and their pigmentation is
as irrelevant as it is immaterial.
Director Young, so I am reading that we had 59 bomb threats
at HBCUs from the beginning of the year until the middle of
February. So my question to you is, and I think I know the
answer, but I just want to make sure, because I was in another
committee hearing, that there have been no arrests made. Is
that correct?
Mr. Young. That is correct, sir. I was going to say the
first one was notified to us on January 31, so with this, we
are not going from the beginning of the year. It was January 31
and continued through the month of February.
Mr. Fallon. OK. And, you know, when you have threats like
this, it is hard to measure the fear that it can construe and
cause, but there is also a cost in disruption, of course, of
the university, and there is a cost of the investigation that
you are all involved with as well. So we don't have any arrests
made, but then I read that the FBI believes these are emanating
from six tech-savvy juveniles. Is that correct?
Mr. Young. Yes, correct, sir.
Mr. Fallon. All right. So we haven't made any arrests, so
how do we know that they are coming from six tech-savvy
juveniles?
Mr. Young. Some of them come from encrypted platforms, and
so it has been, you know, challenges with attribution.
Mr. Fallon. So how would we know the ages of the people,
the perpetrators if we don't know who they are?
Mr. Young. I can't go too much more into the investigation,
sir, but I will let you understand that this is a high
priority. We are utilizing not only our counterterrorism
resources and those of the Joint Terrorism Task Force, but
folks with our Operational Technology Division to help with
some of the complications with, you know, technical issues as
well as our Weapons of Mass Destruction Division----
Mr. Fallon. Right.
Mr. Young [continuing]. And as well as with cyber.
Mr. Fallon. So we don't know who they are, but we know they
are juveniles. And then how do we know what their motivations
are if we don't know who they are? I am confused.
Mr. Young. Like I said, I don't want to go too much into
the investigation, sir, but based upon the statements that were
made, that were received by those divisions, they were what we
would call racially motivated.
Mr. Fallon. Right, from the statements, but we don't know
who it is yet because I have just seen this before where some
of them are actually, you know, not only to the point of
credible, but they are folks that certainly had a racial
motivation, and then there are some false flags as well. What I
want to ask, Director, if you know, what are the penalties for
something like this? Let's say we get a conviction. Somebody
called in a bomb threat. Is there a difference in the penalties
if it was genuinely motivated by hate or if it was just
somebody that wanted to get out of taking a test, or are they
the same because I think they should be the same.
Mr. Young. You know, if it is threats of violence and they
are called-in threats, they are treated exactly the same. And
there are, what I would say, additional penalties depending on
what is developed through the investigation, and, you know, I
would just leave it at that.
Mr. Fallon. Well, because if somebody calls in a bomb
threat regardless of their intent, whether they just want to
get out of a test or they really have a hatred, it is still
causing the same fear. It is still causing the same disruption.
It is still causing the same cost from an investigative
standpoint. So I would be firmly in favor of increasing
penalties for this because it is something that just takes so
much time away from what we are trying to do here, which is
educate young people.
Mr. Young. I would add, sir----
Mr. Fallon. Yes, please.
Mr. Young [continuing]. That, you know, we receive between,
you know, 5,000 just call-in tips a day as well as call-ins to
our, I was going to say, through the internet that are pushed
through to us as far as tips. And a number of these are what we
call threat to life, you know, bombing matters being one of
them, that require immediate response.
Mr. Fallon. And, Director, do you have any idea how much
this costs the FBI? Do you guys ever----
Mr. Young. I mean----
Mr. Fallon. Go ahead.
Mr. Yung. For us, terrorism is our No. 1 priority. We don't
want more terrorism, but----
Mr. Fallon. Well, nobody wants more terrorism. What I am
asking is specifically on these bomb threats because it does
cause the college disruption, and it causes fear to the
students and the faculty, and then it costs a lot of money in
law enforcement, both campus, local, and at the Federal level.
Mr. Young. It takes significant resources across all
levels, sir, and we send out our subject matter experts in
regards to evidence, in regards to, you know, bomb technicians.
So, yes, it takes a significant amount of resources across law
enforcement as well as the disruption.
Mr. Fallon. Thank you. I know I am over in time. I would
just love to be able to quantify that at some point. Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you.
Mr. Fallon. I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentlewoman from Ohio, Ms. Brown, is now recognized for
her questions.
Ms. Brown. Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney and Ranking Member
Comer, for holding this very important hearing. I appreciate
the student leaders who shared their experiences and thank this
panel for being here with us today. I would also like to just
reiterate and associate myself with Congresswoman Pressley's
comments regarding the statement that she made, which was,
``hate-fueled people are fearful of an educated Black person.''
And if that weren't true, there wouldn't be lynchings for
people who were reading or fighting for equal rights, so I just
want to make that distinction for my other colleague.
The string of recent bomb threats against HBCUs are also
cowardly, hate-fueled, and despicable acts of terror. These
bomb threats are not just threats to the physical safety of
HBCUs and their students. They are also attacks on the mental
health and well-being of the students, the faculty, and the
staff, so, Dr. Cooper, targeting HBCUs, especially at the
beginning of Black History Month, is nothing short of
despicable. Can you speak to how these bomb threats against
HBCUs, especially during Black History Month, might have
affected the mental health of the students?
Ms. Cooper. I am happy to answer your question. Thank you.
So as you said, there were certainly a number of these that
occurred during Black History Month, and they have continued to
occur as recently as this week. We did several campus visits.
One was to Tennessee State University and another was North
Carolina Central. In each of these, we spoke to students, and
Secretary Cardona even facilitated a roundtable on mental
health issues at North Carolina Central University along with
Governor Cooper, the Governor of North Carolina. And the theme
of mental health, the stressors of the pandemic, now the bomb
threats was just persistent and ongoing. We heard it over and
over again. And I think we have to remember that just because
no explosive devices have been found, we cannot underestimate
the violent impact and the trauma that this has had on our
students and others on the campus community.
Ms. Brown. Thank you. I was pleased to see that yesterday
Vice President Harris announced additional resources to Project
SERV grants targeted toward HBCUs that have been impacted by
the bomb threats. In addition to executing the implementation
of these grants, what steps in the Department of Education can
they take to help the institution address the mental health
needs?
Ms. Cooper. So we are doing several things to address the
mental health needs here at the Department of Education.
Certainly Project SERV grants will be one of those things.
Institutions who have been impacted by these bomb threats will
get outreach from someone on our team who will work on an
individualized basis to make sure we are understanding what
needs remain unmet and how Project SERV dollars, which are
small, last-dollar funds, can support them. In addition to
that, we have other resources through our Title III grant
programs as well as some HEERF dollars that might be able to
help broader mental health issues that are associated with the
pandemic. We have guidance that will be forthcoming within the
next month or so related to how institutions can use those
HEERF dollars, which are broadly for pandemic recovery, to
support institutions and students at this particular time.
Ms. Brown. Well, thank you again. As a student myself of
Wilberforce University and another proud alumni of HBCUs, I am
grateful. And I believe that we must continue to work to hold
those responsible for these threats accountable and prevent any
future copycat attacks so that students attending HBCUs don't
live in constant fear. They deserve safe spaces. HBCUs are
building the next generation of Black leaders, and Congress
must continue to recognize their contributions in the most
important way possible by forwarding the support, the
infrastructure, and the investment to keep them and our future
leaders safe and secure. So thank you very much, and with that,
I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back, and the
gentleman of from Kentucky, the ranking member, Mr. Comer, is
now recognized for his five minutes.
Mr. Comer. Thank you, Madam Chair. My questions will be
referenced to Assistant Director Young. Sir, I understand this
is an ongoing investigation and there are certain things you
can't disclose, but I think you can sense from our side of the
aisle the frustration that there haven't been arrests made yet.
I understand that the FBI has identified persons of interest in
the case. Could you say how many different people are involved
in these bomb threats? Is it primarily one or two, or are
there, you know, dozens? Can you say how many persons of
interest you have identified in these cases?
Mr. Young. For a number of them, we have it, you know, tied
to around six individuals with one being a little bit more
specific. After that, it gets a little bit more complicated,
and I would like to, just with the ongoing investigation, just
leave it at that.
Mr. Comer. What is the FBI doing through its task forces to
ensure that copycats don't surface, and what are you doing to
protect historically Black colleges from those who threaten
violence like what we have talked about today?
Mr. Young. I think they need to understand that we take
these things very seriously, and our intention is to bring
these individuals to justice. And justice should hopefully
mitigate future people that think that they can intimidate and
discriminate against, you know, these populations of color.
Mr. Comer. So it is my understanding that some of these
individuals are using sophisticated cybertechnologies to mask
their identities and make the bomb threats. Can you tell the
committee what the FBI is doing to make sure it stays one step
ahead of criminals who use sophisticated technology to threaten
violence?
Mr. Young. Yes, it is a constant, what we call, digital
literacy, making sure that we are, you know, training our work
force at all levels to understand so that when we get to some
of these more critical, or, well, I would say difficult
situations, that we get them to the subject matter experts. I
would say one of the things that we do in our Operational
Technology Division is we procure different technologies to
test it so that when it is used against us, we understand the
mechanisms, what we need to do to defeat it. I would also say
that we coordinate across our intelligence community so when
other new technologies come about, we are looking to level set,
have a greater understanding. We also coordinate with foreign
partners to make sure what other technologies that are being
put together by foreign adversaries or foreign governments,
that if it is utilized or used to influence or inflict harm to
U.S. citizens, that we can recognize that and understand how to
place attribution and bring those individuals to justice should
they conduct criminal activity.
Mr. Comer. Let me go back to the persons of interest. What
is the FBI doing to ensure that those persons of interest don't
make other bomb threats to disrupt other universities?
Mr. Young. I would say we have conducted an aggressive
investigation. I think, you know, without divulging any other
information, that I think individuals know that they are under
the scope of an investigation, and, I was going to say,
mitigating future activity.
Mr. Comer. Well, let me conclude by saying this. We
strongly hope to read very soon that you all have made an
arrest or arrests with these suspects because it just seems
like there is a pattern all across America to not make as many
arrests, this criminal justice reform, which there are aspects
that I support. But it seems like there has been a lot of
decreased arrests, decreased prosecutions. We have seen
countless criminals released early in the form of COVID or in
the name of criminal justice reform. I know there are a lot of
people that have referenced mental health.
You know, we had a situation in Louisville, Kentucky, where
one of the leading candidates for mayor had an assassination
attempt by him in broad daylight, and less than two hours later
the suspect was apprehended and less than two hours after that
was released, and advocates were claiming mental health issues.
So, you know, I don't know what is going on here. This is
serious. I understand the FBI is taking this very seriously,
but we certainly hope that there are some arrests made and some
people are held accountable for these acts of violence.
Madam Chair, I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentleman yields back.
The gentleman from Maryland, Mr. Sarbanes, is recognized
for five minutes.
Mr. Sarbanes. Thank you, Madam Chair. Count me a little bit
perplexed by the last 45 seconds of what we just heard from our
colleague across the aisle, but I want to thank you for this
hearing. Obviously, last week, the House stood strongly in
condemning the recent threats of violence against many HBCUs,
including Morgan State, Bowie State, and Coppin State
Universities in the state of Maryland. I am glad that we are
examining how to better support these institutions and their
students with this hearing today. As we all know, HBCUs were
created in response to the long and unjust history of Black
Americans too often being denied admission to institutions of
higher educations across our country. Today, the HBCUs continue
to offer quality education for millions of students, including
large shares of low-income and first-generation college
students.
Dr. Cooper, according to your testimony, approximately 60
percent of HBCU students rely on Pell Grants, while many others
rely on other forms of need-based financial aid. I was pleased
that the omnibus legislation passed last week included a $400
increase in the maximum Pell Grant award, but I think we can go
further than that. Many of us have advocated to go further than
that. Could you just talk about how the recent increase in the
Federal Pell Grant will impact the educational opportunities
and economic security of HBCUs students?
Ms. Cooper. I am happy to talk about that. Certainly
college affordability is a very important issue, one that we
take very seriously. And as we know, we need to be increasing
the number of students who are enrolling and completing our
colleges, and to do that and do that well, we need to make sure
that college is affordable. And so the Pell Grant increase of
$400, the highest in over a decade, is really going to be very
advantageous to students at HBCUs where well over the vast
majority of those students rely on those grants to enroll and
persist in completing their degrees.
Mr. Sarbanes. Thanks very much. We also know that the
chronic underfunding has forced public HBCUs to rely more
heavily on Federal, state, and local funding than their non-
HBCU counterparts. Again, I am pleased that the recently passed
omnibus included historic investments in HBCUs, but the recent
threats of violence have made it clear that more is needed to
ensure these institutions have the necessary resources to
create not only high-quality learning environments but also
safe environments. Dr. Cooper, again to you, how is the
Department of Education working to provide additional
resources--you have touched on this a little bit, but maybe you
could offer some further perspective--additional resources to
HBCUs in the wake of recent violence, and what more can we do
here in Congress to support those efforts?
Ms. Cooper. Sure. So I think you are absolutely correct
when you say that the threats have certainly exposed a
longstanding funding inequity. These institutions have been the
recipients of historic underfunding on so many different
fronts, and that has contributed to the infrastructure
vulnerabilities that we are contending with, given some of
these bomb threats. And so some of the commitments that we have
made at the Department of Education, we have made historic
investments through the Biden Administration in support of
HBCUs. To date, it has been $5.8 billion, and these include
funds related to the American Rescue Plan as well as the HBCU
Capital Financing Program that forgave $1.6 billion in
infrastructure debt and that supported 45 HBCU campuses.
In addition to that, we have our Title III funds that
support HBCUs, and given the targeted, repeated, and ongoing
nature of these bomb threats, Project SERV dollars have been
opened to HBCU campuses that have been impacted by a bomb
threat. Project SERV will provide small, short-term, last-
dollar funds to restore the learning environment. And certainly
there are additional needs related to these threats, and we are
working as a whole-of-government approach in the resource
compendium that was also released yesterday by Vice President
Kamala Harris, provide some of the resources that you have
heard, the others on this panel talked about. In addition, it
talks more about some of the grant opportunities, some of the
trainings, and some of the guidance related to mental health
and other ways that we can support the institutions at this
particular time.
Mr. Sarbanes. Thank you so much. I mean, existing funding
streams and then special responses to some of these situations,
if you put all that together, I think HBCUs can feel more
fortified and strengthened as they deliver these really amazing
and high-quality educational services across the country. But
we have to stay focused on that and make sure that they
continue to feel fortified. Thank you for your testimony.
I yield back, Madam Chair.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlewoman from New York, Ms.
Ocasio-Cortez, is recognized for five minutes.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you. Thank you, Chairwoman. We are
seeing that hate crimes are on the rise across all demographics
in the United States, but I would like to take a moment in this
hearing and we discuss the rise of hate crimes and bomb threats
targeting the Black community specifically. Mr. Young,
according to the FBI's most recently published data, there were
2,871 hate crimes against Black Americans in 2020, and that was
a nearly 50-percent increase in one year over 2019. My
understanding is that this was the highest-recorded number of
hate crimes against the Black community in 15 years. Is that
correct?
Mr. Young. That is correct. That is correct, Congresswoman.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. In fact, this also seems to be the
largest spike in anti-Black hate crimes that has ever been
recorded since the FBI started the hate crime statistics
reporting in 1991. That is also correct, yes?
Mr. Young. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. I am interested a little bit about the
current threats targeting Black institutions. How does this
current spate of threats against HBCUs compare to those
directed at them in the past?
Mr. Young. I was going to say, just if I could add to your
first part, one of the things I want you to be aware of is when
we look at our priorities over this last year, we have
increased our civil rights response because of this spike to
what we would call a national threat priority, so that gets our
highest level of resources and investigation for our criminal
investigation programs. So in regards to the spike, you know, I
don't have year-to-year, but I will say, you know,
traditionally, there are, you know, racial, you know, crimes
directed at the African-American community as well as the
Jewish community. I think, as you know from one of your
constituents up there, these are communities that are frequent
targets, and that is why it is absolutely essential that we
have clear lines of communication, that they know what their
civil rights are, and that they know that they are a priority.
But I was going to say, could I add any more to your question?
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you. Actually, if I may, I wanted
to ask Mr. Haglund a quick question, and perhaps if we have
time, we can go back. In January of this year, DHS published a
National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin that warns that
there is currently a heightened domestic violence extremism
threat environment in the United States. The bulletin stated,
and I quote, ``Mass casualty attacks and other acts of targeted
violence conducted by lone offenders and small groups acting in
furtherance of ideological beliefs and/or personal grievances
pose an ongoing threat to the Nation.'' Mr. Haglund, there is a
bit of friction, a little bit, in the language of that bulletin
because we know two things to be true. One, we know that white
extremists are driven by violent white supremacist ideological
beliefs, but two, we also know that violent extremism poses the
largest current threat to domestic security in the United
States.
So I am curious about this language that the agency is
using around ``lone wolves.'' You know, I think some folks
would ask, wouldn't it be accurate to say that this violence
isn't actually a result of lone wolves but part of a larger
concerning pattern of growing white supremacist ideology in the
United States, including membership, in a very large degree, of
digital and in-person white supremacist organizations?
Mr. Haglund. Thank you, Congresswoman. So I believe the
intent of the document is to cover a wide spectrum. Here in the
Office for Bombing Prevention where we specifically look at
bombing threats, that is where we focus our attention. And we
look at instances like a Nashville-type bombing where you do
have a lone individual as an example of a significant act that
had cascading consequences. And then you look at these bomb
threats, and obviously these are open investigations, and my
FBI colleague has explained that, you know, there is more to
follow here, that we will see how this plays out through the
investigations. But I think the intent of the document is to
cover a broader perspective, but we are very narrowly focused
on that bombing perspective here in the Office for Bombing
Prevention.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez. Thank you very much. I yield my time.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back, and the
gentlewoman from Missouri, Ms. Bush, is recognized for five
minutes.
Ms. Bush. St. Louis and I thank you, Madam Chair, for
convening this hearing.
As the Congresswoman for St. Louis, home of Harris-Stowe
State University, my alma mater, I unequivocally condemn the
rising tide of white supremacist violence against our
historically Black colleges and universities. For decades, our
beloved institutions of Black education have been subjected to
the brutality of white terror with very little recourse
available to those hurt along the way. I urge my colleagues to
consider the long-lasting implications of providing carceral
solutions to social problems, particularly in relation to the
health and safety of Black students. We have to ask ourselves,
does increased police presence at our HBCUs make our Black
students, Black faculty, and administrators feel safe?
In discussing the recent bomb threat with leaders of
Harris-Stowe, the need to drastically improve their campus
safety infrastructure with additional external lighting, modern
camera systems, reinforced windows, and electronically secure
doors is a top priority. Our HBCU administrators are calling
for consistent Federal support to retain campus staff for
mental health and counseling services that provide trauma-
informed care to students on campus. I am proud to support
legislation like H.R. 3294, the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act, to
significantly improve the infrastructure and security of HBCU
campuses. Congress must take strides to reverse the decades-
long trend of underinvestment, of neglect, and of violence
against HBCUs.
Mr. Young, the FBI has labeled activists like me in the
movement to save Black lives ``Black identity extremists,'' and
use this classification to surveil and imprison Black
protesters. Can you explain how domestic counterterrorism
methods like mass surveillance will not harm Black students
activists specifically on HBCU campuses?
Mr. Young. Good morning, Congresswoman. I was going to say,
you know, when it comes to domestic terrorism, we identify them
as you know, first anti-government, anti-authority extremism.
The second one is racially or ethnically motivated, you know,
violence extremism, and then some other, you know, criteria
after that, but it is all around violence. And so we do not
police free speech. We are not here to infringe on anybody's
First Amendments, but, you know, we also go over and, you know,
outreach to those communities so that they understand that we
are there to support them, that they have a voice to reach out
to, that they understand what their First Amendment rights are,
and that, you know, anybody that discriminates against them is
wrong.
As I told the previous Congressman, civil rights has been
elevated to our highest priority in our criminal investigative
divisions. And, you know, we purposely and deliberately reached
out to these universities when these threats happened. We
wanted their resilience. We did not want to diminish any other
aspirations or any fear, and we needed to make sure that we had
clear lines of communication at all levels. And so we don't
want any community in America to feel threatened or
intimidated.
Ms. Bush. Thank you. Dr. Cooper, your written testimony
evoked your father's memory of the tragic Orangeburg massacre
in which white state troopers indiscriminately fired into a
crowd of Black students and killed three people. In cases where
the threat of white supremacist violence comes from law
enforcement officials, what resources can the Department of
Education provide to keep our HBCU campuses safe?
Ms. Cooper. Yes, thank you for that. My father was a
graduate of South Carolina State University. He attended that
institution because at the time, there was no other institution
in the state of South Carolina that would have allowed him to
attend and attend safely. So I recognize that this threat of
violence is one that has been a part of the HBCU story for
quite some time.
At the Department of Education, we are working in
conjunction with our partners and the law enforcement arms--
Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice--and we
are taking their leads in terms of the enforcement aspects of
these threats. And we are working directly with HBCU partners
and institutional leaders to make sure that we can help them
support students' academic, social, and emotional needs
throughout this endeavor.
Ms. Bush. Thank you. Can you, Dr. Cooper, describe how
HBCUs, like Harris-Stowe, will benefit from the Department of
Education Project SERV grants to improve the infrastructure and
help to bolster student and faculty safety?
Ms. Cooper. Yes, I would be happy to, and I should also add
that the president of Harris-Stowe is one of the presidents
that Secretary Cardona and I had an opportunity to speak to.
And one of the things that we have been doing is listening and
learning, and so these resources that we have put together--the
Project SERV grant dollars as well as the resource compendium
that provides a layout, simplified, streamlined, easy-to-
understand information about the whole-of-government response
and support for HBCUs--is a direct response to some of the
things that we heard from Harris-Stowe's president. So we thank
her for that.
Ms. Bush. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Cooper, and I yield
back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back.
Wait. First, I have to announce that before we move on,
Executive Assistant Director Ryan Young has a very hard stop at
12 p.m. due to pressing Bureau business. Executive Assistant
Director Young, we thank you for your participation today, and
you are excused. Thank you for participating in our hearing.
Mr. Young. Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlewoman from Michigan, Mrs.
Lawrence, is recognized for five minutes.
[No response.]
Chairwoman Maloney. You are muted, Representative Lawrence.
Mrs. Lawrence. I am unmuted now. Thank you so much.
Chairwoman Maloney. OK. Thank you.
Mrs. Lawrence. As the vice chair of the congressional Black
Caucus and also as the founder and co-chair of the Black Jewish
Caucus, this hearing is very important to me. I have a few
questions as I continuously look at these issues of hate
crimes.
Many of our HBCUs are already facing critical funding needs
prior to these bomb threats to their campuses. The institutions
are limited in how they can prepare and respond to threats when
they lack resources to boost their security and implement best
practices. How do you perceive the gap? You know, we know the
reality, that there is this personal desire and agency desire
to provide security, but the reality of implementing those
things. Do you have any comments on how the Excellence Act will
enhance or take care of that gap? And I will send this to Mr.
Sean Haglund and Ms. Cooper.
Mr. Haglund. Thank you for the question Congresswoman. So
we have not seen through our historic engagement any
significant differences in the ability to apply the processes
and procedures that we recommend through the resources that we
provide. I think we will have another opportunity as we move
forward here with some of the engagements that I mentioned in
Atlanta this weekend, some of the other courses and in-person
engagements that we have got over the next several weeks to
probably get a finer level of detail on where some of those
particular gaps may be that you are referencing. But we don't
have any historical context for that, but certainly it is an
area that we will continue to reflect on and highlight as we
move forward with these engagements that are result of the
heightened level of awareness right now. And we do hope we get
some good observations and lessons learned over the next
several weeks.
Mrs. Lawrence. Well, I just wanted to comment because I am
very active with the Black Jewish caucus, and when the threats
to the synagogues were made, there were instant investment into
surveillance. There were training that took place with the
synagogue members to prepare them, drills and all of that. So,
Dr. Cooper, how can I be assured that the Black colleges,
HBCUs, are going to be prepared other than just a sense of
heightened awareness?
Ms. Cooper. Yes, I am happy to respond. So we certainly
know that there is historic underfunding that HBCUs have had to
contend with for quite some time. There was a study that was
done by the Government Accountability Office that found that
HBCU land grant institutions were under funded by at least
$12.8 million compared to its predominantly white peer
institutions. In addition to that, HBCUs tend to have much
smaller endowments than their comparable peer institutions in
the state. So funding is a very real issue, and we have heard
from college presidents who we have spoken to repeatedly that
they have had to divert their small resources that they
currently have to the bomb threats.
So the ongoing need for resources is very real. The
Administration, we are committed to doing our part to
continuing to support HBCUs through the various funding pots
that we have available to us, which includes the HBCU Capital
Financing Program, the Title III grants, and now, in addition,
Project SERV. The resource compendium that we have released as
a part of our response to the bomb threats also provides a list
of resources that are available to HBCUs, related to the bomb
threats specifically, to help Department of Homeland Security,
Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and the like.
So we are hoping that with the whole-of-government, multi-
agency response, that we will be able to knit together the
types of resources that at least help HBCUs weather this
particular storm.
Mrs. Lawrence. I appreciate that, and I appreciate the fact
that there is an awareness that there is a funding issue and
there will be a gap. Earlier this year, the co-chairs, which
includes myself of the congressional Caucus on Black Jews,
requested a briefing from the Department of Justice and the FBI
on these recent hate crimes, and I look forward to working with
you all to determine what steps you can do and take to reverse
the alarming trend of hate crimes and keep our campuses safe.
And I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to act
now.
Thank you so much, and I yield back.
Chairwoman Maloney. The gentlelady yields back. I now
recognize the last Member of Congress to question today, and
she is the gentlelady from North Carolina, Ms. Adams, who is
herself an educator and the founder and co-chair of the HBCU
Caucus. I want to thank her for her selfless and dedicated work
on behalf of HBCUs and for staying the entire hearing on this
issue. Ms. Alma Adams.
Ms. Adams. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Ranking
Member Comer. It has been an incredible meeting. Thank you for
the interest.
The eyes and the ears of the U.S. Congress are squarely
focused on what is happening to our HBCUs. I remember W.E.B. Du
Bois, who said, ``Of all the civil rights for which the world
has struggled and fought for for 500 years, the right to learn
is undoubtedly the most fundamental.'' And so I want to begin
by thanking our students who came today for their courage for
they are HBCU strong. I am, as you said, a two-time graduate of
North Carolina A&T, taught at Bennett College, both HBCUs. I
taught at Bennett for 40 years and am founding co-chair of the
bipartisan HBCU Caucus. And it really breaks my heart that
there are those who would seek to harm students who look like
those who testified today and my grandson, who is a junior at
Howard, because of where they go to school. Terrorism and
racism have no place on college campuses or anywhere else.
These were hate crime, acts of terror. And so the students who
testified today reminded me, and all of us it should, of why we
invest in education of our young people and our future leaders
because HBCUs, as has been said, produce top-notch talent and
future leaders.
Assistant Secretary Cooper, as a former faculty member, I
have had numerous conversations with the presidents and
chancellors about the threats. I know that these threats have
had negative impacts on students, on faculty and staff, and
they are major disruptions on the academic programs, and they
really don't have the resources that they need. And so many of
these threats came to our schools in the early morning hours.
Dr. Wims of Alabama A&M told me that his school received a
threat at 2:30 a.m. And you mentioned that the institution
should have the resources that they need, so my question: what
resources can we provide for schools to help notify students
and address these threats that occur at any hour?
Ms. Cooper. Yes, ma'am, I am happy to answer your question.
I think what we were hearing, these early morning bomb threats
are a common occurrence now, and we recognize that it is
putting a stress and a stretch. It is stretching and stressing
the campus security infrastructure, and we are hearing that
repeatedly about the need to modernize their infrastructure and
to improve and create some alert systems that can help.
You know, I have talked a little bit about what we are
trying to do at the Department of Education with the resources
that we currently have available, Project SERV grants, those
small grants to help with last-dollar needs. The Title III
grants can help with that, but they also are helping with other
needs to help to buildup the academic and the fiscal management
infrastructure. There are the HEERF dollars that support the
recovery. We have these various pots, and we are doing our
absolute best to continue to be responsive, but we recognize
that there is some need that is unmet. So we certainly----
Ms. Adams. Well, let me----
Ms. Cooper. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Adams. OK. So I want to continue with that.
Ms. Cooper. OK.
Ms. Adams. So we have seen that the Biden Administration
and Vice President Harris just announced that they are eligible
for the SERV Program. So how can we ensure that these schools
have immediate access to these necessary resources given the
immediate threat?
Ms. Cooper. Yes. We will have someone from our team reach
out to all of these institutions who have been impacted. We
have already had some outreach, but we are going to have
another outreach to let them know about Project SERV.
Ms. Adams. Well, thank you so much. You know, we know that
our campus infrastructure is not where it needs to be, and I
was listening to the representative from Michigan. We have had
to make all kinds of adjustments, particularly with COVID and
so forth, so, yes, they have had to use the resources that they
have and to supplement those. So what else should the
Department of Education and the Federal Government be doing to
help address this challenge?
Ms. Cooper. Yes. So at the Department, we are going to
continually use the resources available to us. That includes
Title III, Project SERV, the HBCU Capital Financing Program,
and we would be happy to partner with Congress on any type of
effort that could really help to serve, to strengthen the
safety and security of HBCU students and their administrators.
We know that over 46 percent of HBCUs have some type of
deferred maintenance that totals over $67 million, and we
really would want to work in partnership with the Congress and
state budgets, who are showing some fiscal strength in Fiscal
Year 2022. We think this could be a good time to use those
healthy budgets to recommit and repay the debt that is owed to
state-sponsored HBCUs.
Ms. Adams. Great. Let me just say in closing, thank you
very much for being here. Thanks to all the witnesses. And,
Chairwoman Maloney, I want to thank you for hosting this
hearing. I am grateful for your leadership and, particularly,
your support of my legislation, the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act,
which would help resolve some of the things that we are talking
about. I am grateful as well to UNCF, TMCF, and NAFEO, who have
been consistent allies and friends to our schools. And, Madam
Chair, thank you so very much and to all of my colleagues. I
want to yield back. Thank you.
Chairwoman Maloney. Thank you, and thank you to all of my
colleagues who participated today, and thank you to all of the
government witnesses. A very special thank you to Ranking
Member Comer, and thank you, again, to Congressman Byron
Donalds for requesting this extremely important hearing. I also
want to thank Congressman Jamie Raskin for his partnership on
this issue and his commitment to combatting violent white
supremacy. His staff worked alongside my own dedicated staff,
some of whom are HBCU graduates themselves, to prepare for
today's hearing.
I am particularly thankful to our student witnesses for
conveying the vital importance of historically Black colleges
and universities and sharing their personal experiences with
these horrific threats. These students personify why we are
fighting to ensure that HBCUs have the resources they need to
help keep students safe. I am personally invested in ensuring
that each of these students reach their full potential and that
these institutions stay strong and vibrant.
I would also like to thank our witnesses from the Biden-
Harris Administration. We appreciate the work that each of you
and your agencies are doing to support HBCUs and keep their
students safe. Your presence today following Vice President
Harris' announcement yesterday of new funding for HBCUs truly
demonstrates the Administration's whole-of-government response
to these threats.
Today we heard first-hand accounts detailing the impact of
these bomb threats on our college students, our Nation's future
leaders. These threats are reminiscent of the shameful
terrorist acts of the Ku Klux Klan during the Civil Rights
Movement. Today's threats come amid a rise in hate crimes and
violent white supremacy in our country, which has targeted the
Black community and other racial, ethnic, and religious
minorities. I want to repeat my earlier statement: HBCUs matter
and every HBCU student matters. We must do everything we can to
bring those responsible for these threats to justice and ensure
HBCUs continue to be the centers of pride and excellence that
they have been for student leaders across our country for
decades.
And with that, all of our panelists, I, again, want to
reiterate how much we appreciate their remarks, and I commend
my colleagues for participating.
With that, without objection, all members will have five
legislative days within which to submit extraneous materials
and to submit additional written questions for the witnesses to
the chair, which will be forwarded to the witnesses for their
response. I ask our witnesses to please respond as promptly as
you are able.
Chairwoman Maloney. And with that, this hearing is
adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 12:17 p.m., the committee was adjourned.]
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