Louisville man among Black Americans targeted by racist text messages

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) – A Louisville man is one of many Black Americans who received racist text messages on Wednesday.

Koby Anderson said he didn’t think much of the lyrics at first.

“I’ve automated texts from a lot of political people – ACLU, Democratic Party, things like that. So I initially thought it was one of those and didn’t make much of it,” he recalled. “And then I picked up my phone and read the whole book. I was a bit surprised and didn’t really believe what I read.”

The unusual text message Anderson received came from a number with a Washington DC area code that he said he did not recognize. The text message stated the following:

‘Good morning Koby? this (sic) is Jonathan Carter of the Trump administration.

I hope this message finds you well. I’ll be contacting you today to let you know that you’ll be named as the #1 pick in the upcoming slave auction!

I hope you’re ready to ‘get started’, let’s MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”

Anderson is just one of many across the country who received racist text messages in the days following the 2024 general election.

Other Kentuckians received text messages stating that “they had been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”

The FBI is currently investigating. In a statement, it said it is aware of the offensive and racist text messages being sent to individuals across the country. The statement also said the FBI is in contact with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities regarding this matter.

For people like Anderson, however, the damage has already been done. He told WAVE News he hopes it doesn’t happen again.

“Think before you say things,” he said. “You never know how things can affect people. Even if things aren’t that deep for you, they can be deep for others. We absolutely don’t need any more division in the country, that’s the last thing we need, so just be aware and think about what you’re doing.”