US authorities investigating racist texts sent to Black people about being 'slaves' and 'picking cotton'

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, United States (AA) - US authorities on Friday were investigating a series of racist text messages sent to Black people nationwide referencing them as "slaves" and "picking cotton."

Some of the messages shared with news outlets across the country exhibited bigoted language reminiscent of the country's painful history of slavery and the unjust treatment of African Americans.

"You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12AM NOVEMBER 13 SHARP with your belongings," read one message shared by the Detroit, Michigan television station Fox 2 News. "Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van, be prepared to be searched down once you've entered the plantation. You are in Plantation Group D."

A second message shared with the TV station mirrored that of the first text:

"You have been chosen to pick cotton at your nearest plantation. Be ready at 10am with all of your personal items & possessions because you will never see them again. We will pick you up in a white bus. You will be checked for drugs & other substances! Once you make it here you will be brought to your designated area. You are in group 10B."

Michigan is one of more than 20 states investigating the racist texts, including authorities in Alabama, California, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Texas and Washington, D.C.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Federal Communications Commission are trying to determine the origination of the mass messages.

"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,” the agency said in a statement.

The racist texts being disseminated nationwide come in the wake of Donald Trump being reelected to his second term as President of the United States.

"The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically, has embraced and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes," said Derrick Johnson, CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) said in a statement. "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."

Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt denied any connection of President-Elect Donald Trump to the racist texts, saying his "campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages."

The origin of the texts and complete list of people they were delivered to are not yet known, but some of the messages were sent through the TextNow phone app, in what the company believes was "a widespread, coordinated attack."

"As soon as we became aware, our Trust & Safety team acted quickly, rapidly disabling the related accounts in less than an hour," the company told CNN.

The TextNow service lets people sign up anonymously using an email address and the app allows users to send texts that appear to come from a randomly-generated phone number.

TextNow said it is "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."

"We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future," said the company.