Howard University, students reach agreement to end weeks-long protest

Howard University officials have reached an agreement with students to end a weeks-long protest mainly over housing issues.

“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,” the university said in a statement on Monday, referring to the university’s student center. 

Students began the protest on Oct. 12 to demand improvements to housing conditions, sharing stories of mold infestations, leaky pipes and rodents in their dorms, according to The Washington Post.

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.

— Howard University (@HowardU) November 15, 2021

Students laid out four demands: an in-person town hall meeting with Frederick, who is Howard’s president,  and other officials; the permanent reinstatement of student, alumni and faculty affiliate positions that were removed by the school’s board of trustees; a meeting with university leaders on housing; and legal, disciplinary and academic immunity for participating demonstrators, the Post reported. 

Demonstrators told the Post that about 100 demonstrators had been living at the university’s Blackburn University Center, a student center that is home to the campus’s largest dining hall. 

A small group of alumni and faculty joined students in their protest, vowing to remain in the student center until their demands are met, the Post reported. 

Donald Temple, an attorney representing the Howard students, told the Post in a statement that students have “substantially accomplished their objectives,” adding that terms of the agreement remain “confidential.” 

“The students courageously journeyed on a path towards greater university accountability and transparency and public safety,” Temple said at a news conference.

The protest gained national attention over the past month, with civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson visiting the campus earlier this month to help administration and students find a solution, the Post noted.