Students at the University of Missouri were among those targeted by a wave of anonymous racist text messages in the days immediately before and after Tuesday’s election. The university released a statement Thursday and said it is investigating the texts and working to identify the source.
Students in at least Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio and Virginia have received similar text messages, according to USA Today.
MU spokesperson Christopher Ave said the university sees no indication of a credible threat to MU students or faculty.
“The University of Missouri condemns this language and all forms of racism and discrimination and is committed to the safety of the university community,” Ave said.
The Legion of Black Collegians confirmed that members of its student body received some of the nationwide text messages. The LBC said it is reporting the incidents to the MU Office of Institutional Equity.
The LBC released a statement Oct. 13 that said three Black MU students, including LBC Executive Secretary Kaelyn Washam, were called slurs while walking through campus. The statement asked students to send tips on any other racist incidents on campus to @mizzoulbc on Instagram or thelegion1968@gmail.com.
Ave said that students who have received racist or otherwise threatening text messages should report them to the Office of Institutional Equity at equity@missouri.edu.
NBC station WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, shared a text message received by one of its viewers:
”Greetings, [name]
You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 12 pm sharp with your belongings. Our executive slaves will come get you in a brown van. Be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter the plantation. You are in plantation group W.”
A message shared by the Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, Ohio, was signed, “Sincerely, A TRUMP SUPPORTER.”
AL.com, Alabama’s largest news site, traced several phone numbers from screenshots reporters reviewed to a voicemail referencing “TextNow,” a site that allows users to create an untraceable phone number.
