Equal Ground Executive Director, Genesis Robinson made the following statement in response to operations at dozens of HBCUs across the country being impacted this week.

September 12, 2025

The Equal Ground team is composed of proud HBCU graduates, and we are deeply disturbed by the threats made against dozens of Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country, including Bethune-Cookman University & Edward Waters University here in Florida. Students, faculty, and staff deserve to learn, teach, and live free of fear, intimidation, and the threat of violence.

It is especially troubling that these threats come on the heels of a high-profile national incident in which a white man allegedly killed another white man, yet Black students and our institutions are the ones being targeted. While America is rightly grappling with the violence witnessed earlier this week, we cannot ignore that HBCUs have been under threat since their founding. Our campuses have long stood as symbols of resilience, excellence, and liberation, which makes them perpetual targets for those who wish to silence or harm us.

We urge our communities to remain vigilant and not take any threats lightly. The events of this week remind us that there are always those who will seize moments of national pain and division as justification to act on their hatred. Equal Ground stands in solidarity with HBCUs, their students, and the broader Black community, and we will continue to demand accountability, protection, and justice.