Tougaloo College officials are investigating “concerning calls” to the school after Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) delivered a commencement address during which she criticized President Donald Trump.
In a letter sent to the school community on Monday (May 5), Tougaloo College President Donzell Lee addressed threats to campus following Crockett’s keynote address on Sunday (May 4), per WAPT.
“Appropriate actions have been taken,” Lee said, noting school officials weren’t taking “concerning calls” lightly. “Contact has been made with law enforcement authorities to ensure that safety protocols are in place, if needed.”
Crockett was invited to deliver Sunday’s commencement speech by fellow Democrat and Tougaloo graduate Rep. Bennie Thompson.
During her address, Crockett acknowledged Anne Moody and Memphis Norman, Tougaloo students who played pivotal roles in the 1963 Woolworth’s sit-in in Jackson, before taking aim at Trump.
“Sadly enough, in the year of our Lord 2025, sitting in these very classrooms is just as much of a protest as Anne and Memphis pulling up to Woolworths in 1963,” Crockett said. “It’s the paradox and parallels for me. … As I stand here in this safe space, still only one of the few places that an institution can invite me to speak.”
“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,” the Texas Democrat continued. “The president of the United States having a temper tantrum that strips funding because I’m Black and I’m proud should not be something that we are dealing with in 2025.”
Crockett also pointed out how Tougaloo’s campus served as a safe space in the 1960s for civil rights leaders like Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“The work done by so many like Bennie (Thompson), Medgar (Evers) and Fannie Lou Hamer are under attack,” she said. “Instead of calling us the ‘N word,’ they use racist epithets and suggest that we’re ghetto, or unqualified or diversity hires, even though we’re all, more oftentimes than not, more educated and qualified than they are. I have news for you. These attacks are not new because Jim Crow never died. He just lied (sic) in wait.”
Thompson said he stands in solidarity with Tougaloo and Crockett amid threats to the school.
“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,” Thompson said in a statement. “Their threats, aimed at undermining Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s powerful commencement address, failed. The Tougaloo community remains proud, strong and unmoved.”
In a post on X, Crockett also spoke out against the threats.
“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,” Crockett tweeted. “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.”
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