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Nov. 10, 2024 |  By: Annelise Hanshaw - Missouri Independent

Racist texts about ‘picking cotton’ sent to Black students nationwide, including Missouri

investigation typed out

By Annelise Hanshaw - Missouri Independent

Racist text messages received this week primarily by Black students nationwide — including in Missouri — are under investigation by federal authorities.

The FBI said in a statement issued Thursday it “is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter.”

Locally, groups have condemned the attacks, and college campuses are looking into the source of the messages.

The texts, which tell recipients they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” have been posted on forums online as far back as Wednesday afternoon. Students have reported receiving the texts at several universities around the state. 

Thursday morning, the 17-year-old son of St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones received the viral message, which the mayor’s father posted online.

Nimrod Chapel Jr., president of the Missouri State Conference of the NAACP, called for law enforcement and schools to take action.

“This is terrorism plain and simple. It points to a well-organized and resourced group that has decided to target Americans on our home soil based on the color of our skin,” he said in a statement after Missouri State University students reported receiving the texts. “The schools that were targeted and law enforcement need to take these reports seriously and act quickly to prevent the escalation to physical violence.”

The University of Missouri-Columbia is also aware of students on its campus receiving the messages.

“​​We are actively investigating the matter and working to identify the source of these messages,” said Christopher Ave, the university’s spokesman. “We are also aware that similar texts have been reported at universities nationwide. Based on the information currently available, there is no indication of a credible threat to the safety of members of the MU community.” 

Attorneys general in other states, such as Louisiana and North Carolina, have launched state investigations. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has not spoken publicly about the issue.