Post-Election Racist Texts Targeting Black People: What We Know So Far

The day after the 2024 presidential election, an onslaught of racist messages targeted Black people across the nation, flooding their phones with offensive texts.  Black individuals across the United States reported receiving racist text messages instructing them to “pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”  Now, federal authorities say the messages were also aimed at high school students, Hispanics, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Students at historically Black institutions also were among those receiving the racist messages. Some victims received emails with offensive messages, according to the FBI. As of Saturday, ABC News reported that the racist texts were reported in California, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, Tennessee, Indiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C. In a statement, the FBI said it is “aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.” “The reports are not identical and vary in their specific language, but many say the recipient has been selected to pick cotton on a plantation,”...