Multiple historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are on lockdown after receiving potential threats on Thursday, including Alabama State University, Virginia State University, Hampton University in Virginia, Southern University in Louisiana, and Clark Atlanta University in Georgia.
Spelman College, located near Clark Atlanta University, has also implemented shelter-in-place protocols as a precautionary measure due to its proximity.
Hampton University ceased all "nonessential" activity, including athletic events, on Thursday for the remainder of the day and Friday, according to the school's website.
In a post on the Virginia State University Facebook page, the school said, "out of an abundance of caution, VSU remains on lockdown."
Southern University in Louisiana was on lockdown, according to the school's post on X. The school said the lockdown applied to its "entire Baton Rouge landmass," which includes its Law Center. The community is encouraged to "shelter in place until further notice."
After the campus lockdown was lifted later Thursday afternoon, the university announced it was canceling "all campus activities and classes" on Thursday, Friday and through the weekend.
Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, is on lockdown due to a potential threat to campus safety, school officials said on Instagram.
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ABC News obtained an email that was sent to the Virginia State University community on Thursday. In the message, VSU students, faculty and staff are asked to remain on lockdown while campus police, and local, state and federal law enforcement investigate the credibility of the threat that was received.
According to the email, no injuries have been reported, outdoor movement has been limited to essential activities, classes and extra-curricular activities have been canceled for the afternoon, and additional security personnel are monitoring VSU locations.
The lockdown measures come in the wake of the shooting at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, where 31-year-old conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was killed at his speaking engagement on campus.
Civil right activist Rev. Al Sharpton released a statement on Thursday, calling for an end to threats to HBCU campuses and all forms of violence amid tensions after the killing of Kirk.
Sharpton said in his statement that he "condemned the shooting of Donald Trump last year, the murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday, and the threats to HBCUs today." He said he also plans to add additional members to his security detail due to increased threats. Sharpton referenced HBCU attacks in 2023 at Edward Waters University and the 2024 shooting at Tuskegee University.
Officials have not linked any of the threats to the HBCU campuses to the shooting at Utah Valley University.
School officials at Hampton and Alabama State confirmed to ABC News that there have been no physical incidents toward students and faculty. It is unclear what type of threat was made to the schools at this time.
The schools stressed "if you see something, say something," asking for their communities to alert the authorities to any suspicious activity.
The alleged threats follow a history of threats to HBCUs in the past several years. In 2022, multiple schools received anonymous bomb threats, causing shelter-in-place notices or evacuations of the majority-Black institutions.
However, no real bombs were found after each incident. At the time, the FBI identified one juvenile believed to be responsible for a "majority" of the "racially motivated" threats.
