‘Find a Way or Make a Way’: Congresswoman Nikema Williams Announces $250,000 in Campus Security Funding for CAU

By Laura Nwogu | The Atlanta Voice

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have faced a surge of threats across the country in recent years, resulting in lockdowns or closures and concerns among students, parents, faculty, and staff about their safety. On the heels of these threats, the latest of which happened in 2025 when terroristic threats against Georgia’s AUC campuses triggered a lockdown, Congresswoman Nikema Williams has secured $250,000 in funding forClark Atlanta University’s campus security.

The funding will strengthen security measures on campus, enabling the Clark Atlanta University Police Department to upgrade technology, enhance communication systems, and expand initiatives that support a safer campus environment.

“Protecting Clark Atlanta is about protecting possibility, and when we invest in prevention, partnership, and community center safety, we send a clear message that our students deserve to learn in an environment where they feel secure, supported, and connected to the broader community around them,” Williams said. “Clark Atlanta University is part of a thriving ecosystem in the fighting fifth, and I will always fight to ensure that that ecosystem is strong, resilient, and safe, because campus safety isn’t just about building a future where our students and neighborhoods rise together. It’s about making sure that that is a reality.”

The event included remarks from CAU President Marshall Taggart and CAUPD Chief Debra Williams, along with speeches from Marshall Taggart, the associate vice president for the Office of Government Affairs and Community Relations; Javari Carlton, CAU’s student government association president; and Jorvis McGee, CAU’s graduate student government president.

The funding comes just a year after Williams secured $630,000 in community project funding for campus safety improvements, which allowed campus security to install and strategically place emergency towers throughout campus. They are equipped with emergency call capabilities, loudspeakers, and direct communication to campus security’s video integration communication center. With the push of a button, anyone can immediately connect with security personnel. The towers also allow CAUPD to broadcast emergency messages across campus when necessary.

“At the end of the day, this work is not just about technology or funding, it’s about people. And for me, this work is personal. I have seen firsthand how quickly life can change and how critical it is to be prepared, to be present, and to be proactive. This investment is about more than just adding something new to our campus. It is about protecting lives, creating peace of mind, and ensuring that every student, every faculty member, every staff member, every visitor who walks onto this campus has the opportunity to walk safely into their future, pursue their purpose, and learn and return home to those who love them. That is our responsibility, that is our commitment, and that is why this work matters.”

After the announcement and signing of the check, Congresswoman Williams and the crowd walked to a nearby emergency tower where they demonstrated how the towers work.  She vowed to secure additional funding to advance efforts to secure and protect Atlanta’s university campuses.

“Clark Atlanta said, ‘Find a way or make a way,’ and we’re going to keep finding ways and making ways,” Congresswoman Williams promised.

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