Howard Students Reach Agreement After Month-Long Protest Over Poor Housing Conditions
by Jeroslyn JoVonn

November 15, 2021

Howard Students Reach Agreement After Month-Long Protest Over Poor Housing Conditions

Students have reportedly reached an agreement one month after launching a protest against Howard University over poor housing conditions.

On Monday, spokespeople for both Howard and the #BlackburnTakeover confirmed that an agreement was reached, and the protest is now over.

“We have achieved increased scrutiny, transparency and accountability,” #BlackburnTakeover spokesperson Jasmine Joof told CNN.

Students have been sleeping in tents and on air mattresses outside Howard’s Blackburn Center since Oct. 12 in protest against the mold, flooding, roach, and rat infestation they say they endured while living in the famed HBCU’s dorm rooms.

Howard is hailed as one of the more popular HBCUs that has received historical donations over the last year. Learning about the living conditions for the school’s scholars was a shock to many around the country.

“We’re paying $48,000 a year — $50,000 for some people — to be living with mold and being hospitalized. With rats and roaches. That’s not Howard,” sophomore Tia-Andrea Scott said last month.

Now, after 34 days of protesting and 20 days of negotiations with school officials, a deal has finally been reached, NBC Washington reports. The National HBCU Coalition The Live Moment took to Instagram to share a video of the meeting that helped to end the month-long protest.

“After 34 days of protesting and 20 days of negotiations, justice has been served for the Howard University students,” the organization said in an Instagram post. “Though the journey has ended for BlackburnTakeover, TheLiveMovement mission has just begun. There is a historic divide between HBCU students and their administration, which means our work is far from over.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Live Movement (@_thelivemovement)

The school also sent a tweet saying they were “pleased” to have reached an agreement with their students.

“Howard University is pleased to announce we have come to an agreement with the students who occupied Blackburn, and will share a longer message from Dr. Wayne Frederick on this topic later today.”


×