While the details of the agreement remain confidential for now, Howard's president Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick announced that a resolution had been reached with students.
"Through ongoing dialogue and a desire to hear and address their concerns, the student protestors have agreed to end the Blackburn occupation and leave the building," said Frederick. "This is a welcome development and a necessary conclusion to a challenging few weeks for everyone involved."
Defiant, Frederick chastised protestors who received widespread support over the past month from sympathizers across the nation, including civil rights leaders, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson and Reverend William Barber.
"Protests drive change. I accept and applaud it," he said. "I do however struggle with the type of protest that jeopardizes student safety, the very thing students said prompted their concerns."
The student protests began over mold growth in dormitories and classrooms, and the increasing presence of roaches and other pests including rats on campus. The dissolution of a student/faculty affiliate trustee role that students and faculty had come to rely on for communication with the administration, only complicated matters.
The students’ lawyer, Donald Temple, said the day felt “redemptive.”
