The racism is ramping up not long after Donald Trump has been announced as the nation's 47th president. Yesterday several Black men, women, and students reported receiving an anonymous text message with directions to report to a plantation to "pick cotton".
The details of these text messages, which circulated in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia, New York, California and Pennsylvania, vary but all carry the same sentiment. Some of these messages included the recipients' names.
"The unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically had embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes," said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. "These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results."
The FBI sent out a statement saying they were aware of these racist text messages and are working with the Justice Department and other federal authorities to investigate.
The White House was quick to chime in on the matter. "Racism has no place in our country — period," said White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson. "We strongly condemn these hateful messages and anyone targeting Americans based on their ethnicity or background."
Donald Trump's campaign spokesperson told the New York Times that the campaign had nothing to do with the text messages. Trump's racist rhetoric has not only been prominent in his 2024 campaign but also his first stint as President.