WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — After racist text messages from an unknown source were sent to many people in the Black community this week, the emotional toll is being expressed across the U.S.
Several iterations of the text messages are being reported across the U.S., instructing the recipient to be a “slave” and to “pick cotton,” “at the nearest plantation,” according to several screenshots seen online.
People around DMV, country report recieving racist text messages in days after election
At Howard University, an HBCU, students lamented the messages. Four people DC News Now spoke with Friday, including a Maryland woman who received a similar text, believe the racial messages are tied to people feeling emboldened in the current political climate.
“I think this election has given a lot of people an excuse to, maybe be openly racist,” said Pypah Miller, a Howard student.
“We honestly just can’t escape racism no matter where we are,” Ariel Williamson added.
Holli Holliday received one of the racist texts Thursday that this could be “part of our new reality.”