Black people across the country have been receiving racist texts about slave plantations
Black people across the country, in more than 20 states, have been receiving racist messages instructing them to report to slave plantations, and many other shops. The documents refer to “slave catchers” and “cotton harvesters,” in addition to warning recipients that they would be searched upon arrival.
After the 2024 election, people in Virginia, Georgia, and more reported receiving racist messages saying they had been ‘picked to pick cotton in nearby fields.’ pic.twitter.com/XUYTyaI1Su
– Complex (@Complex) November 8, 2024
These hateful messages are accepted by children and adults alike. “The documents seem to target black and brown people, including students,” said New York attorney general Letitia James. Different AG offices from other states also issued statements.
The texts are all from anonymous phone numbers and started flooding in after Tuesday’s election. NAACP President Derrick Johnson said “these messages represent an alarming increase in hate speech from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hatred and fan the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election results.”
I have been made aware of the racist and nasty spam text messages that people have received all over Louisiana. I have ordered the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation to fully investigate the origin of these despicable documents that only serve to divide us. I am asking for anyone who has… pic.twitter.com/akz37kYbXq
— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) November 7, 2024
The mother of a University of Alabama student who received one of the messages said it was “surprising that it was the day after the election.” It’s amazing that it came on my daughter’s personal phone. It’s surprising that it only goes to black students.”
A spokesperson for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign wrote in a statement that it had “nothing to do with these messages.” The FBI, in a statement, notes that it is “liaising with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities on this matter.”
It is not clear who sent the documents and how they did it. The messages were directed at people of color, suggesting that the senders had knowledge of the recipients’ lives. Most of the messages were sent through TextNow, a free app that offers phone numbers, texting and calling services.
TextNow told CNN that it believes this is a “widespread, coordinated attack.” The service allows people to register anonymously and send texts to randomly generated phone numbers. It says it has been busy “immediately disabling related accounts.” The company is also “working with our industry partners to obtain more information and continue to monitor patterns to block any new accounts that attempt to send these messages.”
If you’ve received one of these alarming documents, lawmakers encourage you to contact your state’s AG or email . It is not yet known how many people received the messages.
