Tougaloo receives threats after U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett gives commencement speech

Yahoo

08-05-2025

Tougaloo College has contacted law enforcement after receiving threats regarding U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's recent commencement speech.
Rep. Crockett, D-Dallas, spoke at Tougaloo College's 2025 commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 4. Her speech centered on the similarities between today's political climate and that of the Civil Rights Movement.
After growing up in St. Louis, Crockett earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Rhodes College in Memphis in 2003 and a law degree from the University of Houston in 2009.
She became the U.S. Representative for Texas' 30th Congressional District in Jan. 2023. Crockett was the only Black freshman and youngest Black lawmaker in Texas during the 87th Legislative Session.
What did Jasmine Crockett say?
"I oftentimes have to let my staff start a speech, and then I either put some stank on it, or I go completely off the dome," Crockett joked before beginning her speech Sunday morning.
After acknowledging Anne Moody and Memphis Norman, Tougaloo students who played pivotal roles in the 1963 Woolworth's sit-in in Jackson, Crockett mentioned President Donald Trump specifically.
"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."
Crockett paused as she looked to the audience for a response.
"Okay, so that went over some of y'all's heads, but my 50-year grads understood what I was putting down," Crockett continued, pointing to the Class of 1975 members who were honored Sunday for their 50th anniversary of graduating.
"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," Crockett said. "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."
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Crockett compared her speech on the Tougaloo campus to the 1960s, when the campus served as a safe space for civil rights leaders such as 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," Crockett 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."
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett spoke at Tougaloo graduation on Sunday, prompting threats to the HBCU in Jackson.
Concluding her speech, Crockett looked up from her written words and looked directly into the audience.
"If you are waiting for somebody to come and save you, they are not coming to save you," Crockett said. "You are the person that you have been waiting on. There are people that are going to tell you that there is not a table in which there is a seat for you, but I am here to remind you of Montgomery and those folding chairs. Let me tell you that we know how to use a chair, whether we pulling it up or we are doing something else with it."
Crockett's speech was met with applause as she left the podium.
Tougaloo College responds
Tougaloo President Donzell Lee sent a letter to the Tougaloo community on Monday, May 5 addressing "concerning calls" regarding Crockett's speech.
"We are not taking these occurrences lightly," the letter reads. "Appropriate actions have been taken. Contact has been made with law enforcement authorities to ensure that safety protocols are in place, if needed."
Although the letter does not specify these threats, the college president encouraged anyone who receives a call to report to Vice President Donavon Coley.
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Just after 12 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7, Crockett took to X, formally Twitter, to push back against the threats, attributing the concerning calls to President Trump's MAGA base.
"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 wrote on X. "This type of behavior is why I'm constantly having to be protected and I understand that truth telling in this country; sadly, is a dangerous business, but college students don't deserve this. As a side note: you consistently prove me right and just as this was the only campus that MLK could speak at in Mississippi in the 1960s … it's 2025, and this country is still stuck on hate … I'm proud to say Tougaloo is tough and so am I."
Crockett has faced scrutiny in recent months from Trump's supporters and from the president himself.
During NBC's "Meet the Press" interview, which aired on the same day Crockett gave her Tougaloo speech, Trump called the Texas congresswoman "a low IQ person."
Crockett responded to Trump's comments on X, formerly Twitter, that afternoon, saying she was about to depart from the Jackson airport when she learned of Trump's "diabolical" comments.
U.S. Congressman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi representative and Tougaloo alumnus, released a statement on Tuesday, May 6, addressing the threats. Thompson invited Crockett to speak at this year's commencement and sat behind her during the speech.
"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. "Their threats, aimed at undermining Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett's powerful commencement address, failed. The Tougaloo community remains proud, strong and unmoved."
Thompson did not identify any of the "extremists," or their threats, but defended Crockett and her message.
"Tougaloo College is known around the world and has long been an agent for change during some of our nation's most difficult times," Thompson said. "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. 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."
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tougaloo College gets threats after Rep. Jasmine Crockett's speech