The day after the 2024 presidential election, an onslaught of racist messages targeted Black people across the nation, flooding their phones with offensive texts.
Black individuals across the United States reported receiving racist text messages instructing them to “pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”
Now, federal authorities say the messages were also aimed at high school students, Hispanics, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Students at historically Black institutions also were among those receiving the racist messages.
Some victims received emails with offensive messages, according to the FBI.
As of Saturday, ABC News reported that the racist texts were reported in California, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C.
In a statement, the FBI said it is “aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.”
“The reports are not identical and vary in their specific language, but many say the recipient has been selected to pick cotton on a plantation,” the FBI continued. “Some recipients reported being told they were selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp. The messages have also been reported as being received via email communication.”
The messages vary in specific language but often include instructions for recipients to be ready for pickup by a brown van and to prepare for searches upon arrival at a designated location, according to multiple news sources.
The texts have caused significant distress among recipients, many of whom are college students and teenagers.
Monèt Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, told NBC News she was still processing the election results when she received a text message on November 6 from an unknown phone number. The message stated, “Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van” and, “Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve entered the plantation.”
ABC News acquired a racist text message that said, “You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12 pm sharp with your belongings. Our executive slaves will come get you in a brown van. Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve entered the plantation. You are in plantation group W.”
Fisk University officials said last week that the messages were targeting Black students and telling them to report to vans or other transportation that would deliver them to pick cotton at plantations, according to the Tennessee Lookout.
“We are aware of disturbing and offensive messages circulating on social media, appearing to target members of our community,” Fisk University said in a statement. “These messages, which suggest threats of violence and intimidation, are deeply unsettling. However, we want to assure you that these are likely the work of an automated bot or malicious actors with no real intentions or credibility.”
Meanwhile, initial reports of racist texts last week included recipients at universities from California to South Carolina. Some of these texts were sent via TextNow, a service compatible with untraceable, “burner” phone numbers.
TextNow responded by shutting down accounts involved in the initial round of texts. The company stated it was working to halt “variations” of racist and offensive messaging. “TextNow has stopped attempts to send other variations of these harassing messages,” the company said.
Authorities are urging anyone who receives these messages to report them to local law enforcement or the FBI.
“As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and report threats of violence or anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement immediately, call their local FBI office, or submit a report to tips.fbi.gov,” the FBI said.
The investigation is ongoing, with federal and state agencies working together to identify the source of the messages and prevent further incidents.
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