Fri Nov 08 02:45:42 UTC 2024: ## Racist Text Messages Targeting Black Americans Spark Investigations Across the US
**WASHINGTON (The Hindu) -** A wave of racist text messages invoking slavery has swept across the United States, targeting Black men, women, and students, including middle schoolers. The messages, sent anonymously, have sparked investigations by the FBI, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and various state agencies.
The messages, which have been reported in multiple states including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, share a similar tone but vary in wording. Some instruct recipients to show up at a specific address with their belongings, while others lack a location. Many refer to the incoming presidential administration.
The recipients of the messages include high school and college students, as well as members of the Black community. The FBI has confirmed it is working with the Justice Department to investigate the messages, and the FCC is actively investigating “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office has also joined the investigation.
One case involved a 16-year-old girl in Lodi, California, who received a message directing her to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where her family has never lived. The address led to a museum, further fueling the family’s fear and concern.
Multiple schools across the country, including the Lower Merion School District in Pennsylvania and major universities like Clemson and the University of Alabama, have reported receiving these messages. The Clemson Police Department has encouraged anyone who received the messages to report them.
The Missouri NAACP has reported that Black students at the organization’s Missouri State University chapter received texts citing Trump’s win and calling them out by name as being “selected to pick cotton.”
Civil rights organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center and the NAACP, have condemned the messages, calling them deeply disturbing and a perpetuation of a hateful legacy.
While the origin of the messages remains unknown, wireless providers are working to block them and the numbers they originate from. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law estimates that the messages have been sent to over ten states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma, and the District of Columbia.
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