Why did Black Americans receive racist text messages following Trump’s election win, and do we know who sent them?

Days after Donald Trump retook the White House, many Black Americans in numerous states received racist text messages referencing slavery, according to statements from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and the NAACP.

According to multiple reports, Black men, women, and students ⏤ some as young as middle school age in New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and elsewhere ⏤ received the texts, which told the recipients to report to the nearest “plantation” to pick cotton. The FCC and local and federal law enforcement agencies are investigating who sent the messages, some of which referred to the recipient by their name.

Virginia 13 News Now photographer Sam Burwell received one of the messages from an unfamiliar phone number with his name mentioned, and Burwell said his cousin in Richmond, VA also received one using his cousin’s name, but it came from a different group number.

A cybersecurity expert told 13 News Now that a data broker could have sold American’s personal information to whoever sent the offensive messages, which could have been searchable by name and race. According to CNN, a Trump spokesperson said the campaign “has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages.”

Similar tone, different wording

According to the Associated Press, all the messages received nationwide had the same general tone, asking the recipients to report to a plantation to pick cotton, but the wording in each was slightly varied. Tasha Dunham of California, whose 16-year-old daughter got one, said it referred to a North Carolina plantation, where they have never lived. “It was very disturbing,” Dunham added. “Everybody’s just trying to figure out what does this all mean for me? So, I definitely had a lot of fear and concern.”

According to social media reports, students at several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) like Alabama State, Clemson, and the University of Alabama also received the messages. According to the Springfield News-Leader, some messages were signed, “Sincerely, a Trump supporter.”

Referring to the harassing messages, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement, “The unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes. 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.”

At least some messages came through TextNow

While it’s unknown at this time where the messages came from, at least some were sent through TextNow, a free phone service provider, in what the company believes is a coordinated attack similar to a phishing scam, according to CNN. TextNow said they are “working alongside our industry partners to uncover more details and continue to monitor patterns to actively block any new accounts attempting to send these messages.”

The FBI said in a statement Thursday that, “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. As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities.”

“These messages are unacceptable,” Federal Communications Commission Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel added in a statement from the agency. “That’s why our Enforcement Bureau is already investigating and looking into them alongside federal and state law enforcement. We take this type of targeting very seriously.”