In the days following Donald Trump’s re-election to a second term as president, a disturbing wave of racist text messages targeted individuals across the United States. The NAACP reported that Black women, men, and students in multiple states, including Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, received messages from an unknown source.
The texts contained threatening and derogatory language, urging recipients to report to a plantation to “pick cotton” or claiming they had been “selected to be a house slave.” These messages were often accompanied by instructions on where to go and when to be ready, sometimes telling recipients to bring all their belongings.
The racist text messages were traced back to phone numbers from area codes in at least 25 states, although many of these numbers were disconnected by Thursday. CBS News discovered that the active accounts responsible for the messages were linked to TextNow, a service that allows users to create free phone numbers.
After being contacted, TextNow acknowledged that some of its accounts had been misused to send these harmful messages, and the company responded by shutting them down. The use of such services allowed the perpetrators to disguise their identities, making it difficult to trace them directly.
Racist Text Messages Targeting Black Americans Prompt Federal Investigation into Online Harassment and Hate Speech
Federal authorities have responded swiftly to the situation. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair, Jessica Rosenworcel, condemned the messages as “unacceptable” and emphasized that the agency’s enforcement bureau was already investigating the matter.
The FCC is working to identify those responsible and ensure that such actions are held accountable. This investigation is a critical part of the effort to prevent further racist targeting through similar means.
Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has joined the probe, collaborating with the Justice Department and other federal authorities. The FBI encouraged individuals who received these threats to report them to local law enforcement, signaling a broad and coordinated effort to address the racist harassment.
The FBI’s involvement highlights the seriousness with which these acts are being treated, as they potentially violate federal laws regarding hate speech and intimidation.
This incident underscores the persistent challenges of online harassment and hate-driven messages, particularly targeting marginalized communities.
The federal response illustrates the government’s commitment to combating such acts of racial animus but also reflects the ongoing need for stronger regulation and oversight of communication platforms to prevent the abuse of services like TextNow. The investigation is still ongoing, and authorities have pledged to continue working to uncover the individuals behind these reprehensible actions.
