Vice Presidential Pool Reports of March 16, 2022

VP Pool Report #1- event

The HBCU Initiative Announcement began at 3:04 p.m. with Merrick Garland taking the stage. There are several reporters gathered, many of them HBCU graduates and/or representing HBCU-focused news outlets.

The event is being livestreamed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhyUSEiA7Qg

Details from the VP guidance -- At 3:00PM EST,the Vice President will deliver remarks on making communities safer, including on the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona will also deliver remarks. This event in South Court Auditorium will be pooled press.

ICYMI, the White House sent the following fact sheet about the initiative earlier today: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/16/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-resources-for-historically-black-colleges-and-universities-that-have-recently-experienced-bomb-threats/

VP Pool Report #2- Harris takes the stage

Garland spoke for four minutes, followed by United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien, who spoke for four minutes about efforts to combat hate crimes. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona was next, speaking from 3:13 until 3:15 on the need for classroom safety. Jackson State University president Thomas Hudson was the penultimate speaker, and then Harris took the stage at 3:20.

Speakers in order

Attorney General Merrick Garland, U.S. Department of Justice
Deputy Secretary John Tien, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. Department of Education
President Thomas Hudson, Jackson State University
Vice President Kamala Harris

Background below from "a White House official":

Today, during an event at the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, and Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security John Tien will provide an update on the Biden-Harris Administration's actions to improve public safety in all communities. The Vice President will announce that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – more than one-third of which have recently received bomb threats against their campuses – are now eligible for grant funding under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program from the Department of Education to enhance campus security and provide mental health resources. Please see embargoedFact Sheet, below.

In her public remarks, the Vice President will make clear that every American should be able to learn, work, worship, and gather without fear. She will reiterate that we have seen significant spikes in incidences of violence and hate against Jewish communities, Asian-American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities, and LGBTQ+ communities – which is why our Administration has taken aggressive action to combat hate and ensure public safety.

This announcement builds on the work the Vice President has done since taking office, alongside President Biden, to combat hate and increase public safety. In November 2021, Vice President Harris addressed the Anti-Defamation League's Never is Now conference. During her remarks, the Vice President said:

"We must fight antisemitism and hate of all kinds. And call it out wherever it exists. We know: A harm against one of us is a harm against all."

In March 2021, Vice President Harris joined President Biden in Atlanta after eight people were murdered in the city, six of them women of Asian descent. The Vice President said:

"Asian Americans have been attacked and scapegoated…For the last year, we've had people in positions of incredible power scapegoating — scapegoating Asian Americans. People with the biggest pulpits spreading this kind of hate. […] The President and I will not be silent. We will not stand by. We will always speak out against violence, hate crimes, and discrimination, wherever and whenever it occurs."

Overview: Grant Funding Under Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) program
The Vice President will announce that HBCUs that have recently experienced a bomb threat resulting in a disruption to the campus learning environment, are eligible for grant funds under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program at the Department of Education. Project SERV provides short-term, immediate funding for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education that have experienced a violent or traumatic incident to assist in restoring a safe environment conducive to learning. Project SERV grant can help with short-term immediate funding needs, such as targeted mental health resources or enhanced security to restore the learning environment on their campuses. Awards typically range from $50,000 to $150,000 per school.

In the last two months, more than one-third of our country's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have received bomb threats. Significant and lasting damage has been done by threatening the safety and security of the students, faculty, and staff of these institutions. As a result of these threats, learning has been disrupted, critical resources have been diverted to emergency response, and there has been an increased burden on already overwhelmed campus mental health systems.

HBCUs were founded to educate Black people in an America that refused to accept them as full human beings and prevented them – because of racial discrimination – from attending other colleges. Threats to the education and well-being of Black Americans and HBCUs are an unfortunate part of American history. The bomb threats that we witnessed in January, each week in February – Black History Month, and this month – are reminiscent of the attempts during the Civil Rights Era to intimidate and provoke fear in Black Americans.

VP Pool Report #3- event wraps

Harris spoke from 3:20 until 3:25, after which the event ended. She did not take questions.

Pool is now in holding at South Court, waiting to depart. Thank you!

Event attendees, per the White House

- House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD-05)
- Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Chair of the House Oversight Committee
- Tony Allen, President of Delaware State University and Chair of The White House HBCU Initiative
- Dietra Trent, Executive Director, The White House HBCU Initiative
- Sean Diedre Burns, Assistant Vice President for Government Relations, Thurgood Marshall College Fund
- Victor Santos, Director of Government Relations, Thurgood Marshall College Fund
- President Thomas Hudson, Jackson State University
- Lezli Baskerville, CEO, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO)
- Suzanne Walsh, President Bennett College
- Ronald Mason, Jr., President, University of the District of Columbia (UDC)
- Kylie Burke, President, Student Association, Howard University