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Charlotte NC

Adams, Hill Introduce Resolution Addressing HBCU Threats

February 9, 2022

Concurrent resolution condemns threats of violence against historically Black colleges and universities and reaffirms support for HBCUs and their students.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC-12) and Representative French Hill (R-AR-02), co-chairs of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, have introduced a resolution condemning threats of violence against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and reaffirming support for HBCUs and their students.

A copy of the resolution is available here.

"I prayed for our beloved HBCUs this past week. However, as a proud alum – twice – of North Carolina A&T State University; as a former professor at Bennett College; and as the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus, I know for a fact HBCUs can overcome any challenge," said Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12). "However, HBCUs shouldn't have to face the violence and terror my generation experienced during segregation. Terrorism and racism have no place on college campuses – or anywhere else.

"I also want to take this opportunity to address the perpetrators of these crimes. Just as I have prayed for our HBCUs, I am praying for you. I am praying that you learn from the pain you've caused. I am praying that the hate that inspired these acts leaves your heart forever. Like many others around the world, I owe our HBCUs a debt that can never be repaid. That is why I continue to pray for our institutions, and the souls of those who cannot or will not honor them. That is why we have come together as a Congress to introduce this resolution," concluded Adams.

"The rise in bomb threats at HBCUs in central Arkansas and across the nation is concerning and I condemn the threats of violence at our nation's HBCUs," said Rep. French Hill (AR-02). "I was proud to join my friend and fellow co-chair of the HBCU Caucus, Rep. Adams, in introducing H.Con.Res 70, which condemns the threats against our HBCUs and reaffirms our commitment to the students, faculty, and staff at these universities. HBCUs hold immense value in our communities, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for our HBCU community."

Earlier this week, The Hill published an op-ed by Rep. Troy Carter (D-LA-02) and Adams. In it, Adams talks about her personal experience at an HBCU:

"At North Carolina A&T State University, they invested in a young Black woman from the ghetto streets of Newark. Her mom saved every penny so she could be the first in her family to attend college. The university's committed investment in her provided the academic support she needed so she could succeed in ways she never thought were possible. They took her from cleaning houses with her mother to serving in the U.S. House."

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. represents North Carolina's 12th Congressional District (Charlotte, Mecklenburg County). She serves on the House Committee on Education and Labor, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Financial Services Committee in the 117th Congress. Before being elected to Congress, she served as a professor at Bennett College in Greensboro for four decades. She serves as the founder and co-chair of the Congressional Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus.

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