Say What?! FBI Investigating After Mass Text Messages Sent Out Informing Black Recipients That They’ve Been Selected To ‘Pick Cotton’

Say What?! FBI Investigating After Mass Text Messages Sent Out Informing Black Recipients That They’ve Been Selected To ‘Pick Cotton’

Tallahassee Democrat reports widespread racist text messages sent to Black Americans are spreading across social media. Now, the FBI is investigating.

“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,” they wrote in a statement Thursday.

The texts, some of which were labeled as coming from “A TRUMP SUPPORTER,” tell the recipients that they’ve been selected to be enslaved and assigned to pick cotton on a plantation.

According to social media posts where screenshots go viral, the messages have been reported in multiple states. While many individuals and groups have received them, many seem to be targeting Black college and university students. Students have reported them in Clemson University, Ohio State, the University of Alabama, and other Alabama schools, among others.

The messages vary in detail but follow the same basic script. Even more disturbingly, some include the recipients’ first names.