It didn’t take long for racism to rear its ugly head after Trump won the election earlier this week. On Wednesday—the day after Election Day—horrible text messages were sent to several Black folks across the country that told them to prepare to go to a plantation and pick cotton.
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Now, the FBI has released a statement about the texts on its website. It explained that it “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 federal agency also said “As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities.” The FBI claimed it contacted the U.S. Department of Justice and told people who received the disturbing messages to local authorities.
NBC reported that students at Clemson University reported receiving the text messages. The school later released a public statement.
“Based on the information available, there is currently no indication of a credible threat to members of the Clemson community. CUPD takes all reports of concerning communication seriously and is committed to the safety of the University community.”
Clemson University shared that authorities are “actively investigating the matter and working with state partners to identify the source of the messages.”
Other college students as well as residents in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina and North Carolina also reportedly received similar messages with the same hateful theme.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares’s office released a statement denouncing the texts.
“The Attorney General’s Office is aware of these text messages and unequivocally condemns them,” the statement read.
“Anyone who believes themselves to be under threat should not hesitate to contact local law enforcement and their local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (or 1-800-225-5324) or visiting FBI.gov/tips.”
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