Campus Alert Archive
Howard

Black History Month, Day One: A Third Threat Hits Howard Just Before 3 a.m.

DCbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

Howard University was hit by another bomb threat — its third of the year — just before 3 a.m. on the first day of Black History Month, part of a coordinated wave that targeted more than a dozen HBCUs on January 31 and February 1, 2022. The HU Alert system woke students with a shelter-in-place order covering 'multiple areas' of the Northwest D.C. campus. An all-clear was issued at 7:30 a.m. ET after a sweep found no devices. The FBI later identified juveniles as persons of interest.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Howard University
Hbcu · DC
~12,000 studentsHU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 2 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Verified verbatimHU Alert text quoted verbatim by NBC News, timestamped 3:29 a.m. ET on February 1, 2022150 chars
A bomb threat against the university is being investigated. All persons on campus are advised to shelter in place until more information is available.
Verbatim from the official HU Alert message as quoted by NBC News; the article reported the alert was timestamped at 3:29 a.m. ET on February 1, 2022 -- the first day of Black History Month
No location specificity -- reporting described the threat as covering 'multiple areas' rather than naming targeted buildings, consistent with the terse SMS format
Shelter-in-place rather than evacuation -- reflects bomb threat protocol uncertainty
ALL CLEARSMS+4h 1m
Verified verbatimHoward University all-clear statement quoted verbatim by WTOP News, February 1, 2022156 chars
Areas and facilities within the scope of the threat have been cleared by the Metropolitan Police Department and deemed safe for regular business and access.
Verbatim from WTOP's report quoting Howard University's official all-clear update: 'Areas and facilities within the scope of the threat have been cleared by the Metropolitan Police Department and deemed safe for regular business and access'
All-clear given at 7:30 a.m. ET -- roughly 4.5 hours after the 3:29 a.m. shelter-in-place order
MPD, not campus DPS alone, conducted and cleared the search -- consistent with Howard's D.C. location and reliance on Metropolitan Police
Context

Background

The 2022 HBCU bomb threat wave was the largest coordinated targeting of historically Black institutions in modern history. Across 2022 there were hundreds of bomb threats against HBCU facilities (federal officials later cited roughly 725 such threats), with nearly 20 HBCUs targeted on January 31 and February 1 alone, in what the FBI investigated as racially motivated hate crimes. The timing -- multiple institutions hit on the first day of Black History Month -- was clearly symbolic. Howard, as the most prominent HBCU, was targeted repeatedly. Because these threats were a national news story, many institutions posted their alerts publicly on social media, creating an unusually rich archive of verbatim alert text. Six 'tech-savvy' juveniles were eventually identified as persons of interest. No actual explosives were found at any campus.
Analysis

Key Findings

The HBCU bomb threat wave produced more publicly archived alert text than almost any other category of campus incident
Shelter-in-place (not evacuation) was the predominant response — reflecting the protocol tension in bomb threat response
Symbolic timing on Black History Month Day 1 amplified the psychological impact beyond the physical threat
Howard's alert language remained nearly identical across repeated threats — suggesting a rigid template
Outcome
All-clear issued at 7:30 a.m. after sweep completed. No devices found at any targeted HBCU. FBI investigation identified juvenile suspects.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Howard University issues shelter-in-place order over bomb threat (NBC News)
    nbcnews.com
  2. News
    At HBCUs, fear and anxiety after third wave of bomb threats (Washington Post)
    washingtonpost.com
  3. News
    HBCU bomb threats: Black colleges targeted in coordinated wave (NPR)
    npr.org
  4. News
    FBI identifies 6 juveniles as persons of interest in HBCU bomb threats (Virginia Mercury)
    virginiamercury.com
  5. News
    Howard, Morgan State, UDC targeted in new round of bomb threats against local HBCUs (WTOP News)
    wtop.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedblack-history-monthcoordinated-threatUnfounded
Added March 2026Updated June 2026Via manual