This story comes to you from MPR News through a partnership with Sahan Journal.
Tawonda Burks woke up Thursday morning to a text message she received overnight. It came from a Twin Cities number, included her full name and was overtly vile.
“I instantly got angry and upset,” Burks said. “I’m just still trying to comprehend, like, did somebody really send this message out to me? Who and why and for what reason?”
Burks, who is Black, was one of many Black Americans targeted by the text messages. There were reports in Virginia, in Tennessee, in Ohio, in Connecticut and in Alabama, among others.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office received reports of text messages received by Minnesotans.
“The text messages that have been shared with my office are disturbing, threatening, and have no place in our society,” the statement said. “My mission is to ensure every Minnesotan can live with dignity, safety, and respect, and I have no tolerance whatsoever for harassment and hate. I strongly encourage any Minnesotan who received one of these messages to file a complaint with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office using our online form.”