Greensboro's African American Community Newspaper since 1967
On the day former President Donald Trump was officially declared winner of the 2024 presidential election, Black North Carolinians reportedly began receiving disturbing and racist text messages, telling them that they had been selected to work on a cotton plantation, and if they didn’t comply, they “…would be beaten for 15 mins straight.”
The messages just didn’t target Black North Carolinians. African Americans across the country reported receiving the racist texts. According to USA Today and other national news outlets, Black college students in several states reported also receiving the texts, which informed them that they “had been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”
Even young Black children were targeted.
Some of the messages claimed to have come from “a Trump supporter,” although authorities have not been able to pin down exactly who sent them, where they came from or how many were sent.
Law enforcement authorities only know that the messages began to appear right after the re-election Trump as president had occurred.
One Black North Carolinian who received the racist text, Tiffy Lattimore of Oxford, said she at first downplayed it because she felt it was “ignorant” and knew “it would never happen.” She then posted it to Facebook, only to discover afterwards that other Black people in other states and at her place of employment received the same or a similar text message.
“How did you get my number?” and “How did you know that I was African American?” Lattimore said were her biggest concerns.
The N.C. Attorney General’s Office says it is investigating, “… alongside federal and industry partners.”
In Fayetteville, Latasha Gillis said her teenage daughter received one of the racist texts the day after the election and expressed concern.
“I definitely think that the outcome of the election is where these messages are coming from,” Gillis told USA Today.
Similar messages have been reported in South Carolina, Alabama, Ohio and other states. The FBI is heading the national probe. The NAACP has denounced the texts.
Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate crimes across the nation, said in a statement that the racist text messages were “…a public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history.”
Meanwhile in Durham, N.C., Durham police are probing a White nationalist sign displayed in the American Tobacco Campus (ATC) near downtown last Saturday.
The sign, posted by the “Patriot Front” reads “Strong families, strong nations,” with a link to the Patriot Front website. The sign has since been removed.
Patriot Front is identified as a White nationalist hate group.
Reportedly, other banners from the group were witnessed by motorists along I-40 and hanging from the South Parking garage at the ATC.
Thus far, there is no indication of any direct connection between the White nationalist signs and the racist text messages. Some observers have surmised that the texts may have actually come from Russian or other international adversaries looking to cause racial division in the United States after a contentious presidential election.
If you, or someone you know, has received a racist text message as has been reported, authorities advise to contact your local law enforcement immediately.
