Campus Alert Archive
Morehouse

Hate-Speech Notes Trigger Shelter-in-Place: Morehouse Among 30+ HBCUs Targeted in Early 2022

GAbomb 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.

Morehouse College in Atlanta issued a shelter-in-place order around 3:30 p.m. on March 14, 2022, after a note containing racial and sexual-identity slurs and a bomb threat was discovered on campus. President David A. Thomas described it as an 'indirect threat' involving a suspicious package that might have contained explosive wiring. Atlanta Police and the Department of Homeland Security investigated and found no threat by approximately 4:30 p.m.. The incident made Morehouse one of more than 30 HBCUs targeted with bomb threats in early 2022.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Morehouse College
Hbcu · GA
~2,800 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction318 chars
Morehouse College Alert: A suspicious package has been reported on campus. Shelter in place immediately. Do not move between buildings. Atlanta Police Department and federal law enforcement are responding. Avoid the area near the reported package location. Further information will be provided as it becomes available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The shelter-in-place order was sent around 3:30 p.m. EST on March 14, 2022 after a note containing hate speech and a bomb threat was discovered
President David A. Thomas characterized the threat as 'indirect' -- involving a note describing a possible package with explosive wiring rather than a direct phone call
Morehouse Campus Police, Atlanta Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security all responded to the incident
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction268 chars
Morehouse College Alert: The shelter-in-place has been lifted. Atlanta Police have searched the campus and no suspicious package or explosive device was found. The campus is safe. You may resume normal activity while exercising caution. Thank you for your cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The all-clear was issued approximately one hour after the shelter-in-place order, around 4:30 p.m. EST
Morehouse Campus Police canvassed the school alongside APD and determined there was no danger
A search found no suspicious package -- the threat note had described, but not actually placed, any device
Context

Background

Morehouse College, the only all-male HBCU in the United States and alma mater of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was placed on shelter-in-place on the afternoon of March 14, 2022, after a hate-speech note was found on campus describing a possible explosive package. President David A. Thomas described it as an 'indirect threat' -- a note alleging the presence of a suspicious package which might have contained explosive wiring. 11Alive reported that the note contained racial and sexual identity slurs. Atlanta Police Department, Morehouse Campus Police, and the Department of Homeland Security investigated; no package was found and the all-clear was issued approximately one hour after the initial alert. Scholars at Risk documented the incident as part of their database of attacks on academic freedom. At that point, more than 30 HBCUs had received bomb threats in the early months of 2022, prompting House Education Committee hearings and demands for federal intervention. Morehouse's incident was unusual for its hate-note format rather than the phone calls used in earlier wave incidents.
Outcome
Atlanta Police and DHS found no threat. All-clear issued approximately one hour after shelter-in-place order. No explosive device or suspicious package confirmed. No arrests specifically tied to the Morehouse incident were announced.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Notes containing hate speech prompt bomb threat at Morehouse College (11Alive)
    11alive.com
  2. News
    'Indirect threat' sends Morehouse into shelter-in-place (SaportaReport)
    saportareport.com
  3. News
    Atlanta police say no threat at Morehouse College following bomb threat (WSB-TV Atlanta)
    wsbtv.com
  4. Source
    2022-03-14 Morehouse College (Scholars at Risk)
    scholarsatrisk.org
  5. News
    Morehouse College The Target Of Another HBCU Bomb Threat (Atlanta Patch)
    patch.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedhate-notegeorgiaatlantaall-male-hbcudhs-respondUnfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion