Current:Home > MarketsRacist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Racist text messages referencing slavery raise alarms in multiple states and prompt investigations
View Date:2024-12-23 22:21:49
WASHINGTON (AP) — Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarm across the country this week after they were sent to Black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting inquiries by the FBI and other agencies.
The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording.
Some instructed the recipient to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others didn’t include a location. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.
It wasn’t yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no comprehensive list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.
The FBI said it was in touch with the Justice Department on the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement.” The Ohio Attorney General’s office also said it was looking into the matter.
Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California, said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages Wednesday evening before her basketball practice.
The text not only used her daughter’s name, but it directed her to report to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where Dunham said they’ve never lived. When they looked up the address, it was the location of a museum.
“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everybody’s just trying to figure out what does this all mean for me? So, I definitely had a lot of fear and concern.”
Her daughter initially thought it was a prank, but emotions are high following Tuesday’s presidential election. Dunham and her family thought it could be more nefarious and reported it to local law enforcement.
“I wasn’t in slavery. My mother wasn’t in slavery. But we’re a couple of generations away. So, when you think about how brutal and awful slavery was for our people, it’s awful and concerning,” Dunham said.
About six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, received the messages too, said Megan Shafer, acting superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.
“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing, made even more so by the fact that children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.
Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, said they received the messages. The Clemson Police Department said in a statement that it been notified of the “deplorable racially motivated text and email messages” and encouraged anyone who received one to report it.
Fisk University, a historically Black university in Nashville, Tennessee, issued a statement calling the messages that targeted some of its students “deeply unsettling.” It urged calm and assured students that the texts likely were from bots or malicious actors with “no real intentions or credibility.”
Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”
David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said that they aren’t sure who is behind the messages but estimated they had been sent to more than 10 states, including most Southern states, Maryland, Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. The district’s Metropolitan Police force said in a statement that its intelligence unit was investigating the origins of the message.
Brody said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents. The leaders of several other civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”
“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”
___
The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (552)
Related
- Lee Zeldin, Trump’s EPA Pick, Brings a Moderate Face to a Radical Game Plan
- See who tops MLS 22 Under 22 list. Hint: 5 Inter Miami players make cut
- 2 teams suing NASCAR ask court to allow them to compete under new charter agreement as case proceeds
- Patriots' Jabrill Peppers put on NFL's commissioner exempt list after charges
- Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney dies in car accident
- Jon Batiste’s ‘Beethoven Blues’ transforms classical works into unique blues and gospel renditions
- Riley Keough felt a duty to finish Lisa Marie Presley’s book on Elvis, grief, addiction and love
- Chicago Bears stay focused on city’s lakefront for new stadium, team president says
- Rare Alo Yoga Flash Sale: Don’t Miss 60% Off Deals With Styles as Low as $5
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hot in Here
Ranking
- West Virginia expands education savings account program for military families
- Jennifer Lopez Details How Her F--king World Exploded” After This Is Me...Now Debut
- Montana’s attorney general faces a hearing on 41 counts of professional misconduct
- The Latest: Hurricane Milton threatens to overshadow presidential campaigning
- Cameron Brink set to make Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut
- Horoscopes Today, October 9, 2024
- Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s Daughter Ella Is All Grown Up During Appearance at Gala in NYC
- Kenya Moore, Madison LeCroy, & Kandi Burruss Swear by This $5.94 Hair Growth Hack—Get It on Sale Now!
Recommendation
-
Dozens indicted over NYC gang warfare that led to the deaths of four bystanders
-
Washington state woman calls 911 after being hounded by up to 100 raccoons
-
Opinion: Harris' 'Call Her Daddy' podcast interview was a smart way to excite her base
-
Melinda French Gates will give $250M to women’s health groups globally through a new open call
-
Beyoncé course coming to Yale University to examine her legacy
-
These Internet-Famous October Prime Day 2024 Deals Are Totally Worth the Hype & Start at $3
-
Got a notice of change from your Medicare plan? Here are 3 things to pay attention to
-
October Prime Day 2024 Home Decor Deals Worth Shopping—$11 Holiday Plants & 75% Off Fall and Winter Finds