Racist text messages reported in multiple states

Racist text messages being sent to black Americans in Ohio and all over the countrytelling them that they have been chosen for enslavement and assigned to pick cotton on the plantation.

The widespread messages are being reported in many states and screenshots are going viral on social media. The messages vary in detail, but follow the same basic script.

Students seems to be some of the target recipients.

“Some students have received these hateful text messages,” Ohio State University spokesman Ben Johnson said. “We have reported these reports to the Office of Institutional Equity and are offering support services. We know this is happening nationally.”

Columbus State College spokesman Brent Wilder confirmed that college students received spam messages. College officials were unable to count the number of students.

“This is racism at its finest,” Columbus NAACP President Nana Watson said. “I believe this is a hate crime.”

Mary Banks said her 16-year-old daughter received a hateful text message at 8:12 p.m. Wednesday that included her full name. Several of her daughter’s friends at Columbus City Schools received similar messages.

Banks said she was not surprised by the emergence of racist hatred. “I feel like white supremacy has increased since the election. This is my personal opinion.”

FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Office Aware of Racist Text Messages

Tweeting on its X account, the FBI said: “The FBI is aware of racist and offensive text messages sent to individuals across the country and is in contact with the Department of Justice and other federal agencies regarding this matter.

“As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement.”

In response to the FBI’s tweet, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican representing Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, responded on his X account: “I guess you’re sending them all. Pack your bags.”

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office is also aware of the text messages and has a team investigating them, his spokeswoman said.

The messages appear to be coming from phone numbers with Ohio area codes. Checking some of the numbers reveals that they are landlines and cannot send text messages. This could be a sign that text messages are part of fake fraud.

Substitution does it the call or message appears to be from a known contact or local organization.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate incidents across the country, said in a statement that the text sent to young black people “is a public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history.”

“Leaders at all levels must condemn anti-Black racism in any form whenever we see it, and we must back up our words with actions that advance racial justice and build an inclusive democracy where every person feels safe and welcome in their community ” said Margaret Huang, SPLC President and CEO.

This story is developing and will be updated.

Dispatch reporter Sheridan Hendricks contributed to this report.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Ohio bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations throughout Ohio..