The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Communications Commission said Thursday they were each “aware” of racist and alarming text messages being sent to recipients, many of whom are Black college students, in the wake of the election.
“The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter,” the agency said in a statement on Thursday. The agency recommends that the public report threats of violence to them.
The FCC echoed the FBI’s assertion that it’s “aware” and it “is looking into [the messages] alongside federal and state law enforcement,” ABC News reported.
The texts told recipients in varying ways that they were selected for slavery and required to pick cotton at a plantation. One message in particular shared with ABC News affiliate 13News Now said: “You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12 pm sharp with your belongings. Our executive slaves will come get you in a brown van. Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation. You are in plantation group W.”
It’s unclear who exactly sent the messages or how, but some messages claimed to come from supporters of President-elect Donald Trump, USA Today reported.
The messages have been reported in at least Nevada, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Virginia, New York, California, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
Some recipients went to colleges like Clemson University in South Carolina, Ohio State and the University of Alabama, while others were minors who hadn’t yet reached college, according to USA Today.
Margaret Huang, president and CEO of Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization, called the messages “a public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history.”
“Hate speech has no place in the South or in our nation,” Huang wrote in a press release for SPLC. “Leaders at all levels must condemn anti-Black racism, in any form, whenever we see it — and we must follow our words with actions that advance racial justice, and build an inclusive democracy where every person feels safe and welcome in their community.”
Outside of the FBI and FCC, some non-federal officials have publicly condemned the messages.
Representatives for the Virginia attorney general’s office and the Washington, D.C., attorney general’s office each, respectively, told CNN they are “aware” of the messages and “condemn” them.
New York Attorney General Letitia James told recipients in New York to use the “Civil Rights & Discrimination” complaint form if they receive the “despicable” messages.
Clemson University Police Department in South Carolina confirmed in a statement Thursday that it launched an investigation after students began receiving messages with “racially disparaging and biased language” on Wednesday.
“These numbers have been determined to be associated with online spoofing sites. CUPD is actively investigating the matter and working with state partners to identify the source of the messages,” the statement continued. “Based on the information available, there is currently no indication of a credible threat to members of the University community.”
Likewise, Nevada’s Attorney General’s Office announced it has launched an investigation into what it called “robotext messages.”