Racist Text Messages Target High Schoolers and Minorities

Racist text messages have become a disturbing reality for many high schoolers and minorities. These messages often come from unknown numbers, making it difficult for victims to identify the perpetrators.

Many of these messages are sent during school hours, disrupting the learning environment and causing emotional distress to the recipients.

In some cases, these messages are part of a larger pattern of harassment, with multiple messages sent over a period of time.

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Racist text messages were sent to members of the Black, Hispanic, and LGBTQ communities in the days after the 2024 presidential election, with some recipients receiving messages that addressed them by name.

These messages were often accompanied by fake instructions, such as telling people to report to nonexistent nearby plantations to "pick cotton", surrender themselves to fake nearby deportation centers, or report to phony reeducation camps.

The recipients quickly reported the messages, kicking off a flurry of investigations across the country at the local and federal levels, which are still ongoing.

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The texts were not just random messages, but were likely collected from personal data bought online and then inputted into machine-learning algorithms to attain demographic information.

The NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the racist text messages, saying they represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country.

The FBI is working with local authorities and the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate the messages and asked people to remain vigilant and report any such texts to authorities.

These messages have not led to violence, but have caused panic and fear among the recipients, who were already sensitive about giving out their personal information.

The company TextNow has shut down accounts involved in the initial round of texts and is working to halt "variations" of racist and offensive messaging.

The NAACP has taken action to alert and urge the FBI and local law enforcement to take these messages seriously and respond appropriately.

Reports are circulating of planned attacks against Black Americans "from now until November", which the NAACP is also monitoring and coordinating with their communities on the ground.

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America, and their legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century.

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Children and college students were among those targeted by the racist mass texts, alarming parents and spurring warnings about their psychological impact.

The texts were sent to students at major universities, including the University of Alabama, and students at Missouri State University received the texts too, according to a statement from Missouri NAACP President Nimrod Chapel.

Nicole Nuñez, a mother of a 15-year-old son, said her son and his friends received similar text messages, with one message saying they would be picked up by a black van to go pick cotton at a plantation.

The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.

Monèt Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, received a text message saying she would be searched down once she entered the plantation, and Alyse McCall, a Black honors freshman, received a message saying she had been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.

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The messages were sent to students who were previously part of pro-Palestinian protests on campus, and many of the victims were scared of retribution, violence, or being "doxxed" and having their private details leaked across the internet.

The NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said the 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.

The NAACP has taken action to alert and urge the FBI and local law enforcement to take these messages seriously and respond appropriately, and the Association continues to monitor and coordinate with their communities on the ground.

The FBI has reported that racist text messages are being sent to high schoolers, Latinos, and the LGBTQ community. These messages are often anonymous and can be very disturbing.

The messages have been reported to have similar themes, such as telling recipients they are selected for deportation or to report to a re-education camp. Some recipients even reported being told they were selected for forced labor.

The FBI is working with local authorities and the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate these messages. They are also asking people to remain vigilant and report any such texts to authorities.

The company TextNow has shut down accounts involved in the initial round of texts and is working to halt variations of racist and offensive messaging.

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The FBI is working with local authorities and the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to address the racist text messages.

The agency is asking people to remain vigilant and report any such texts to authorities. This is crucial in preventing further harm and bringing those responsible to justice.

TextNow, the company behind the initial round of texts, has shut down accounts involved in the harassment and is working to halt "variations" of racist and offensive messaging.

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The company has stopped attempts to send other variations of these harassing messages, but it's unclear how many mass-texting services the attackers attempted to use.

The FBI is sharing information on the expanding texts and emails with education institutions and faith leaders to help prevent further harm.

Despite the racist messages that were received, many more were stopped due to protections put in place by the messaging industry in recent years.

Bad actors tried to make use of toll-free numbers but were prevented from ultimately sending out the messages that way, according to one source familiar with ongoing investigations.

Text-Em-All blocked a campaign and quickly changed their policies after detecting an attempt to send out messages about plantations and deportations.

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The national reaction to these racist text messages has been one of shock and anger. Many people, including Talaya Jones, a Black resident of Piscataway, New Jersey, have spoken out against the messages.

Jones was "shocked", then angry and sad after receiving a racist text telling her she had been "selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation." She felt that the messages show that the country hasn't made as much progress as people thought in terms of racial equality.

The messages have been reported to the FBI, which is working with local authorities and the US Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division to investigate. The agency has also asked people to remain vigilant and report any such texts to authorities.

The CEO of LULAC, Juan Proaño, said that the latest texts remind him of the group's purpose and that people forget the struggles of the past. The company TextNow has shut down accounts involved in the initial round of texts and is working to halt "variations" of racist and offensive messaging.

Monèt Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, received a text message stating "Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van" and "Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation." The NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said that the messages are an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups.

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