VSU Goes Dark on a Day of Coordinated HBCU Hoaxes: Lockdown From 8:20 AM to 1 PM in Petersburg

🚨Campus Lockdown Update🚨 VSU Police has lifted the campus lockdown with restrictions. Entry to campus is limited to faculty, staff and students with a valid VSU identification card only.

Today, Virginia State University—along with several other Historically Black Colleges and Universities—received a threat intended to disrupt, intimidate, and instill fear in our community. In response, we took immediate action, including a temporary campus lockdown, which has since been lifted with restrictions. Thankfully, no injuries or incidents were reported. Let us be clear: these threats are not random. They are targeted attacks on institutions that have long stood as pillars of excellence, empowerment, and progress. HBCUs exist because we refused to be denied an education—and we thrive because we continue to rise in the face of adversity. To those who seek to silence or scare us: we will not be intimidated. For over a century, Virginia State University and other HBCUs have stood as a beacon of knowledge, excellence, and resilience. Thank you for your patience, vigilance, and unity. Together, we are—and always will be—GREATER.