As reports of racist text messages flood in from across the nation, authorities are piecing together the disturbing trend of hate speech targeting Black Americans. Tasha Dunham, a mother in Lodi, was stunned when her daughter received a text message declaring she had been selected to be a "house slave," a clear derogation tied to America's history of racial subjugation. The alarming message took on a personal tone with the use of her daughter's name, escalating concerns around the privacy and safety of African American individuals. "She was in her room getting ready to go to basketball practice," Dunham told ABC10. "She comes out, and I’m thinking that she’s going to tell me that she’s getting ready to leave to go to practice, and she’s like mom look at this text message I got on my phone."
In what seems to be a coordinated attack, both children and adults across the country, including those at historically Black colleges and universities like Hampton University and Fisk University, have received similar texts. The messages ominously instruct recipients to report to the "nearest plantation" to pick cotton. According to a CNN report, the TextNow service was utilized to send some of these messages. TextNow has responded by disabling the anonymous accounts responsible and is working with authorities to prevent further misuse of their service.
In response to the hateful rhetoric, NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson highlighted the broader implications of such attacks, particularly following a presidential election. "These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday’s election results," Johnson warned, as reported by CNN. The sentiment was echoed by several attorneys general, who vowed to locate and prosecute the offenders.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the FBI are actively investigating these incidents. Jessica Rosenworcel, the FCC Chair, stated that "these messages are unacceptable," committing the Commission's resources to address the problem. Meanwhile, the FBI affirmed their awareness of the matter, saying, The FBI "is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter," as noted by CNN. Local law enforcement also plays a crucial role, with the FBI urging those who receive such threats to contact their local authorities immediately.
Locating the origins of these messages has proven to be a complex task for investigators. Anonymizing software and email services that camouflage the sender's location are being used to distribute these texts, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told CNN. While some messages are being routed through Poland, this does not guarantee the senders reside there. "They could be coming from Napoleonville, Louisiana, for all we know. We don’t know where they are originating from," Murrill stated. The investigation is ongoing as officials continue to track down the perpetrators of these deeply disturbing and hateful messages.
