HOWARD STUDENTS PROTEST POOR LIVING CONDITIONS AND OTHER ISSUES
Howard Students are protesting campus living conditions and other administration issues. Students state that rats and roaches were found in the café, mold in student housing, and leaking dorms that came with a delayed response from the administration to accommodate students during flooding.
no housing crisis but we have mold growing EVERYWHERE?! #blackburntakeover pic.twitter.com/jCtXy9ABBf
— eve🧚🏾♀️ (@eveechanel) October 15, 2021
A look at the conditions inside some of the housing at @HowardU – a student sent me this video from her dorm. She said school officials refused to relocate her. @fox5dc @TheLiveMovemen1 #BlackburnTakeover pic.twitter.com/W2qFDcLsHS
— Jacqueline Matter (@JMatter_TV) October 14, 2021
As long as students are bathing with roaches and mold, they are not being kept safe. If #HowardUniversity cares, they will met our simple demands. #BlackburnTakeover pic.twitter.com/V528MtFNoU
— Afeni 🔥 | #SaveSilwan (@ReddIsAri) October 15, 2021
Tuesday afternoon, the #BlackburnTakeover students released a group video statement of an encounter with Dr. Cynthia Evers, Howard’s Vice President of Student affairs. The group said she attempted to pull one person aside to address concerns, and the group demanded that encounters be addressed to the entire group. Thus, Howard student and protester Tia-Andrea Scott told media outlet DCist that faculty and staff were invited to address student complaints but never showed up.
I initially didn’t understand the severity of the situation at Howard, but there are reports of students coughing up blood from mold exposure and the admin is sitting on their hands. They even called the police on students who were protesting. #BlackburnTakeover #howard pic.twitter.com/Ppjr2fMFx5
— SoInsightful this is me with help (@insightful_so) October 18, 2021
More than 150 students have taken part in the protest for over a week. Many are camping in tents outside the Blackburn Center.
“It is not a normal college experience to be living with mold and having respiratory issues and safety hazards in our living spaces,” says Howard sophomore Thandiwe Abdullah.
The Board of Trustees responded with a statement stating, “Simply put, we hear you and we continue to welcome your viewpoints on all matters pertaining to Howard.”
However, students beg to differ. “Most of the response has been very hostile,” Abdullah told FOX 5. “I was met with police, I was met with public affairs, the principal’s office – they told me I was making the value of the Howard degree go down. I’m in debt to be here and we are living in what I would say are dilapidated dorms.”
Many people outside of the university have taken a stand with students. Gucci Mane was set to perform at Howard this week for their homecoming week but pulled out of the event to show support for protestors.
Gucci Mane’s 1017 artists HotBoyWes, Big Scarr, and Bic Fizzle supported the students by not performing and bringing awareness to the situation. Big Scarr took to Twitter to express his support for the students.
“We stand in solidarity with the students at Howard University. No one should be forced to live in unsafe conditions #BlackburnTakeover #HoodAvenger”.
According to the Department of Education, the university asked for $240 million in federal funding for this year’s budget request. The report says the university plans to spend $49 million for construction but didn’t provide any details on improvements towards current facilities.
