Mother shocked when teenage daughter sent racist text saying she is a ‘house slave’ and should report to ‘plantation’

Tasha Dunham’s 16-year-old daughter got ready for basketball practice in Lodi, California on Wednesday afternoon when a notification appeared on her phone.

“Greetings, you have been selected to be a house slave at the height of the plantation. Be ready on November 7 at 8pm sharp,” said the text read. It contained an address for a museum North Carolina.

“Our executive slaves will be there to get you into a brown van. Be prepared to be searched as soon as you enter the plantation,” the message continued.

“I was very disturbed, very upset,” Dunham said The independent. The text included the 16-year-old’s first name The independent has been removed to protect her privacy.

Dunham and her daughter are not alone.

Across the country this week, black people are receiving racist text messages demanding they show up on “plantations” where they will be enslaved.

“I definitely had a high level of fear and anger and awareness around it because you’re obviously talking about slavery,” Dunham said. The independent.

“It’s something that has clearly had an impact on our lives, our family and our culture for generations before us,” she continued. “So it’s not something that I just dismissed as a joke.”

Dunham said The independent She contacted her local law enforcement office on Thursday. After filing a report, an officer passed on resources for her and her daughter.

“They offered me resources that they would give to victims of a hate crime to take further care… to talk to someone about what we went through,” Dunham said.

Lodi police confirmed this The independent they are investigating Dunham’s case as a hate crime.

People have reported receiving these text messages in the past two days in Alabama, California, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington DC and elsewhere.

Although the texts vary slightly by location, they often include the name of the recipient and refer to plantations and slavery.

“Good afternoon Renee,” one text reported in Detroit reads. ‘You have been chosen to pick cotton on the nearest plantation. Make sure you are ready at 10am with all your personal items and belongings because you will never see them again.”

Several state and federal agencies, including the FBIThe Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission are investigating these racist messages.

Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, condemned the lyrics in a statement Shared Friday afternoon.

“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who has historically embraced and sometimes encouraged hatred is unfolding before our eyes,” Johnson said.

“The threat – and the mention of slavery in 2024 – is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that predates the Jim Crow era and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to live their lives after to strive for. freedom and happiness.”

“These actions are not normal,” he added. “And we refuse to let them normalize.”

Dunham told it too The independent she believes these text messages may be related to the election, as her daughter received the text just hours later Donald Trump secured a second term in the White House.

“I don’t think the timing was a coincidence: it was the day President Trump was announced as the next president of our country,” Dunham said. “So I think part of the motivation was just fear-mongering, and that’s something that’s being spread in our country right now.”

“So I’ve done my best not to spread fear around it, but more importantly to make sure people are more aware of what’s happening,” Dunham added.