Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi, received threats after the school hosted U.S. House Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Texas Democrat and fierce critic of President Donald Trump, as the keynote speaker for the historically Black college’s graduation ceremonies on Sunday.
“The school has received concerning calls regarding the commencement speech delivered by Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett,” Tougaloo President Donzell Lee said in a May 5 letter to employees and faculty that Black With No Chaser first reported.
The president said the college is working with authorities to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff.
“We are not taking these occurrences lightly,” he said in the statement. “Appropriate actions have been taken. Contact has been made with law enforcement authorities to ensure that safety protocols are in place, if needed.”
The college has not revealed any specifics about the nature of the threats or who made them.
Threats Came as Trump Attacked Crockett
The threats came after President Trump attacked the congresswoman by name in an interview on NBC on May 4, the same day as Rep. Crockett’s speech in Jackson, calling her “a low-IQ person.”
Trump has used insults about “low-IQ” against other high-profile Democrats and critics in the past, including former Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. House Rep. Maxine Waters, a California Democrat. Trump has a long history of denigrating Black people specifically for their intelligence, echoing centuries-old racist tropes and stereotypes.
Crockett responded to the president’s latest attacks in a tweet on Sunday, saying he was “reminding the world that you’re terrified of smart, bold Black women telling the truth and holding you accountable.”
The congresswoman also responded to the threats against Tougaloo College in a social media post on Wednesday
“No low is too low for MAGA… now explain to me why an institution would be receiving threats because of the commencement speech that I GAVE,” she wrote. “This type of behavior is why I’m constantly having to be protected & I understand that truth-telling in this country, sadly, is a dangerous business, but college students don’t deserve this. … I’m proud to say Tougaloo is tough & so am I.”
Tougaloo Has a Deep Civil Rights Legacy
Rep. Jasmine Crockett gave the keynote address to Tougaloo’s graduating class on May 4, where she was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters. She urged the graduates to lean into the legacy of those on whose shoulders they stood.
She also told those seated in front of the college’s historic Woodworth Chapel that today’s political climate holds some of the same challenges as during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. She acknowledged during her speech that her appearance had generated controversy, and said Tougaloo College was a “safe space” and “one of only the few places that an institution can invite me to speak.”
Tougaloo College was established in 1869 by New York-based members of the American Missionary Association to provide teacher education and industrial training for freed slaves and their children. Its name, a Choctaw term meaning “between two streams,” reflects the college’s location between two small streams that flow into the Pearl River in North Jackson.
As one of only two private Black colleges in the state during the 1960s, Tougaloo College played a critical role in the Civil Rights Movement, with students hosting voter registration drives, protests, sit-ins and boycotts. Woodworth Chapel hosted many leaders of the movement, such as Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It also provided a secure meeting place for workers for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and the Congress of Racial Equality.
In 1961, a group of students called the Tougaloo Nine participated in a read-in at the Jackson Public Library, where they attempted to sit and read library books. They were arrested and jailed, sparking protests. In response, the American Library Association adopted a policy opening up membership to everyone regardless of race, prompting Mississippi and several other Southern states to withdraw from the ALA.
“How many times did you sit back and think about the fact that you walked the same hallowed grounds where the Tougaloo Nine organized?” Crockett told graduates on Sunday.
The congresswoman bemoaned the threats of violence that still remain for people who speak out.
“To think about the fact that people have to be fearful of having a sitting member of Congress to come and address their graduates tells us that we still got a lot of work to do,” she said.
In a statement, U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat whose district includes Tougaloo College, condemned the threats.
“It is unfortunate that a day of celebration at Tougaloo College was met with attempts by extremists to overshadow the moment and intimidate those in attendance. Their threats, aimed at undermining Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s powerful commencement address, failed,” he said. “The Tougaloo community remains proud, strong, and unmoved.”
“Tougaloo College is known around the world and has long been an agent for change during some of our nation’s most difficult times. Congresswoman Crockett is one of the most sought-after voices in the U.S. House of Representatives, and we were honored to have her speak,” Thompson continued. “I stand in solidarity with the Tougaloo community and commend Congresswoman Crockett for her inspiring message to the graduates. Under no circumstances will we be intimidated by fear.”
This story has been updated to include comments from U.S. House Rep. Bennie Thompson.
Correction: This story originally said Tougaloo College was the only private Black college in Mississippi in the 1960s; that was incorrect. Tougaloo College was one of two private Black colleges in Mississippi in the 1960s, along with Rust College.
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