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FBI Investigates Racist Texts Invoking Slavery Sent After Election to Black Americans, Including Students

Nov 8, 2024, 12:59 PM

Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Black individuals—including men, women, and students as young as middle schoolers—in nearly a dozen states have reported receiving racist text messages invoking slavery and referencing plantations. Some messages were sent before and after Election Day, and a few claimed affiliation with Donald Trump or mentioned the Ku Klux Klan. The messages, sent from unknown numbers, instructed recipients to report to plantations to pick cotton or become slaves, with some including specific addresses for meeting points. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has acknowledged awareness of these offensive and racist texts and is investigating the matter in collaboration with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities. Authorities in various states, including Maryland, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California, have received complaints, and local law enforcement agencies are also looking into the incidents. The NAACP has condemned the messages, and officials, universities, and civil rights organizations have raised alarms, prompting calls for those responsible to be brought to justice.