Several historically black colleges and universities across the country were on lockdown Thursday after receiving threats.

Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Southern University in Louisiana, Bethune-Cookman University in Florida, and Clark Atlanta University in Georgia were among those on lockdown. Spelman College, located near Clark Atlanta University, also enacted a shelter-in-place order as a precautionary measure due to its proximity.

Recommended Stories

• Ben Shapiro vows to 'pick up that blood-stained microphone where Charlie left it'
• TPUSA lauds Charlie Kirk's commitment to Christ and 'good-faith debate' in statement on assassination
• House passes Trump-backed bill to raise penalties for illegal border crossers

Alabama State said it received “terrorist threats” that prompted a shutdown of campus operations out of an abundance of caution.

According to the school’s website, Hampton University suspended all “nonessential” activity, including athletic events, on Thursday for the remainder of the day and Friday.

Southern University in Louisiana canceled all classes through the weekend after it lifted its lockdown.

The lockdowns came less than a day after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Officials have said there is no link to that shooting and the threats against the HBCU campuses.

HBCU campuses have seen an uptick in threats in recent years. In 2022, 19 schools received anonymous bomb threats, prompting shelter-in-place notices or evacuations. The FBI at the time identified one juvenile believed to be responsible for a “majority” of the “racially motivated” threats.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE RISE IN THE US: A TIMELINE OF KEY INCIDENTS

Rev. Al Sharpton condemned the threats, noting the increased targeting of historically black schools.

“We have seen too much violence on our campuses, whether it was the brazen murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday or the threats against these HBCUs today,” Sharpton said in a statement. “Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate in a way that’s respectful, engaging, and productive. What we have seen the last two days is anything but that.”