Racist text messages sent after the election have been received by Louisville students

Racist text messages were sent to some suggesting that the recipients would soon be deported Students from Jefferson County Public Schools Thursday, apparently part of a wave of offensive messages being sent to Black Americans and other minority groups across the country in the wake of the 2024 general election.

In an email to staff members, Southern High School principal Sariena Sampson said a series of racist texts circulating in several US states, including Kentucky, had been sent to Southern students and referred to deportation.

“We are concerned about students and their families calling and unknowingly reporting themselves and ending up on some list because we don’t know who the perpetrators behind these texts are,” Sampson said. “My number one goal is for our students to feel safe, welcome, and to feel like they belong here at Southern High School. Do everything I can to make that happen for our students.”

JCPS spokesperson Carolyn Callahan confirmed that some Southern High School students received the text messages Thursday.

While Colleges and Universities in Louisville have not received notifications that students have received the texts, An increase in similar content has been seen in the US Some of the reported messages tell recipients that they have been “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation,” while others include a sign reading “Sincerely, A TRUMP SUPPORTER,” the The Tallahassee Democrat reported this.

Anonymous messages have been reported in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia USA TODAY.

A spokesperson for the FBI’s Louisville office told The Courier Journal on Friday that local agents “are aware of offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals across the country, including in Kentucky” and remain in contact with the agency. U.S. Department of Justice and other federal authorities. authorities.

The New York Times reported that the White House condemned the messages and said there is no place for racism in America.

“We strongly condemn these hateful messages and anyone who targets Americans based on their ethnicity or background,” White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said in a statement.