For about a week, students at Howard University have been protesting horrible living conditions inside of some dorms on campus. Using the Twitter and Instagram hashtag, #BlackburnTakeover, organizers encouraged a sit-in at the university’s Blackburn Center to bring attention to this housing crisis and demand change within the dorms.
Students participating in the sit-in say there has been a lack of action and accountability from the school’s administration and that willing to stay in Blackburn Center for as long as it takes. They would also disrupt Homecoming activities or potential donor opportunities if their demands are not met.
MORE: Howard University Students Stand Firm In Demands As Atlanta HBCU Students Join Movement
Students have been posting to Twitter and Instagram about their experiences and some of the images are disgusting and shocking.
Chandler Robinson, a freshman at Howard, went live on her Instagram account from the protest to reveal some of her friends were coughing up blood and having issues with breathing from mold exposure. They would eventually be hospitalized, she said.
https://twitter.com/cocoapimpcess/status/1450567423170654223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1450567423170654223%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewsone.com%2F4236327%2Fhoward-protester-claims-students-are-sick-from-mold-exposure-in-dorms%2F
One student posted photos of mold growing behind art hanging on walls. The mold looked like it had been growing for years. Others posted pictures of mold growing inside air conditioning vents and even molding inside of a student’s hat.
A 17-year-old sophomore documented what she said was mold in her dorm via a video that she posted to social media claiming to show flooding and resulting mold in what is supposed to be a kitchen area of the dorm room.
Thandiwe Abdullah had to relocate her dorm because of water damage and mold growing in the closet of her dormitory.
“Maintenance came, they looked into it, and no one tells us anything,” Abdullah said. “They just start ripping out the wall. They move everything out of our closet there’s mold growing on the wall in our closet.”
Stories from all over campus paint a picture of negligence as young students living on campus struggle with balancing academic life with living under conditions not even suitable for their worst enemy. The concerns raise many questions about who’s making decisions at Howard University.
As reported by NewsOne in June, the university made the decision to eliminate voting power from faculty, student and alumni representation in decisions made by the board of trustees.
Check out some of the photos and videos posted by students below.
If you want to check out more, search the Twitter and Instagram hashtags, #blackburntakeover
