Racist Text Messages Referencing Slavery Spark Investigations Across Multiple States

Alarming racist text messages referencing slavery have been discovered in several U.S. states, prompting investigations by authorities. The messages have raised concerns over racial tensions and hate speech.

Racist text messages referencing slavery caused national concern this week after being sent to Black men, women, and students—including middle schoolers. These incidents have prompted investigations by the FBI and other agencies.

The anonymously sent messages were reported in multiple states, such as New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. While they generally maintained a similar tone, their wording varied.

Some advised the recipient to appear at a specific address and time “with your belongings,” whereas others omitted any location details. A few referenced the forthcoming presidential administration.

The identity of those responsible for the messages remained uncertain, and a comprehensive list of their recipients was unavailable. However, high school and college students were among those who received them.

The FBI announced that it is coordinating with the Justice Department regarding the messages. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission stated that it is investigating these texts “in collaboration with federal and state law enforcement.” Additionally, the Ohio Attorney General’s office confirmed its own inquiry into this issue.

Tasha Dunham from Lodi, California, mentioned that her 16-year-old daughter shared one of the messages with her on Wednesday evening before heading to basketball practice.

The message not only mentioned her daughter’s name but also instructed her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina, which Dunham noted they’ve never resided at. Upon researching the address, they discovered it was actually the location of a museum.

“It was extremely unsettling,” Dunham remarked. “Everyone’s trying to understand the personal implications of this situation, so I felt a great deal of fear and concern.”

Initially, her daughter believed it was a prank; however, with heightened emotions after Tuesday’s presidential election, Dunham and her family suspected something more sinister. As a result, they reported the incident to local law enforcement authorities.

“I wasn’t enslaved, and neither was my mother. However, we’re just a few generations removed from it. Considering the brutality and horror of slavery for our ancestors is both awful and concerning,” Dunham said.

Megan Shafer, the acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, stated that approximately six middle school students also received these messages.

She wrote in a letter to parents, “The racist nature of these text messages is deeply troubling, especially since they have been directed at children.”

Students at several prominent universities, such as Clemson University in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, reported receiving these messages. The Clemson Police Department issued a statement acknowledging their awareness of the “deplorable racially motivated text and email messages” and urged recipients to come forward with reports.

Fisk University, a historically Black institution located in Nashville, Tennessee, released a statement describing the messages directed at some of its students as “deeply unsettling.” The university encouraged calm and reassured students that these texts were likely from bots or malicious individuals lacking any genuine intent or credibility.

Nimrod Chapel, President of the Missouri NAACP, reported that Black students from the organization’s chapter at Missouri State University received text messages referencing Trump’s victory and specifically naming them as “selected to pick cotton” for the upcoming Tuesday. He mentioned that law enforcement in Springfield, a city located in southeastern Missouri where the university is situated, has been informed about this incident.

“It indicates a well-organized and well-resourced group that has chosen to target Americans within our own country based on skin color,” Chapel stated.

Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland also emailed parents, indicating that “many students” had received text messages with “racist threats.”

According to the email, local law enforcement and the FBI are informed about these messages. Law enforcement in certain regions has stated that they view them as low-level threats.

Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president at the wireless industry trade group CTIA, stated: “Wireless providers recognize these threatening spam messages and are actively taking measures to block them along with their originating numbers.”

David Brody, the director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, stated that while they are uncertain about who is responsible for sending these messages, it is believed they have reached over 10 states. This includes several Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even extends to the District of Columbia. In a statement from D.C., Metropolitan Police Department mentioned that its intelligence unit was actively investigating where these messages originated from.

Brody noted that various civil rights laws could be relevant to incidents motivated by hate. Leaders of several other civil rights organizations also denounced the messages, among them Margaret Huang, President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who stated: “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”

“The threat and reference to slavery in 2024 are profoundly unsettling, continuing a legacy of evil that extends back before the Jim Crow era. It now aims to deny Black Americans their right to life, liberty, and happiness,” stated NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are unacceptable, and we will not allow them to become normalized.”