As we live in a world where racism shows up in new ways everyday, students at Howard University have become a main target. In early February 2022, Howard University received several bomb threats targeting specific school buildings and dormatories. Students like Makayla Tejeda, a junior Health Science major, have unique circumstances that were affected by the threats. 

​

“At the time of one of the bomb threats, I was in Howard University’s ROTC program and had an off campus call time of 5:30am at Catholic University. I believe the threat was received around 3:30am and we were not allowed to leave the building until 5:30am and our group missed call time. We did not receive much grace from our peers at Catholic University for missing call time and I felt as if I had to play the role of being a strong black woman amongst peers that couldn’t begin to understand my struggle.”, says Makayla. These bomb threats were a direct racist attack that Makayla could not begin to explain to her peers at a predominantly white institution. 

​

The constant feeling of having to be strong amongst others unaware of circumstances has led to students like Makayla to develop a numbness to their emotions. Makayla recalls, “It wasn’t until my leader asked about our mental health and if we are ok that I realized something was actually wrong. We aren’t supposed to be going through this.” It seems that students didn’t truly understand the severity of the situation until hearing it from others. As attendees of such a historic institution, the target is on Howard Students so often that they don’t recognize the problem. 

​

Makayla’s parents were also very concerned about her safety. She recalls them asking her to come home or to stay with family close by. “My parents wanted me to come home or stay with some of my family in Maryland but I had other commitments on campus that didn’t allow me to leave so abruptly. I also didn’t want to leave and give the situation more power than it already had. I was ready to get back on schedule.” It seems as if the threats may have been a distraction to many student’s larger goals and commitments. 

​

Social media also became very active regarding the threats. Makayla recalls her social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter being flooded with updates about the situation and memes that underrepresented the situation. She says, “ I saw a lot of memes on my timeline referencing the bomb threats and I feel like this added to the numbness I felt. Although people were posting updates of the situation, I didn’t feel like any students were taking it seriously and neither should I.” 

When asked about Howard University’s overall response to the situation, Makayla felt that, “Howard responded as well as a school could. The school seemed very active in the investigation and communicated well with my parents. I also appreciated the mental health day and the concern of my professors. I remember talking a lot about the situation in class and feeling like my professors really cared about my well being.” 

​

Overall, these bomb threats are something that each student will remember about their matriculation through Howard University and should not be taken lightly.