2 months ago
2
A troubling text message was received by Black students in a number of states, including Alabama. Some feel the message is rooted in racism.Students at the University of Alabama and others across the country got a text message on Wednesday letting them know they were selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.Freshman Alyse McCall said she was in class when she got the text, and it brought her to tears.The message read, in part, "You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 1:00 p.m. SHARP with your belongings."McCall said the number of Black students at the university is already small, so getting this text to her personal phone is extremely uncomfortable. She feels she had to speak up about why this isn’t OK.“I can say, ‘Oh, it’s a spoof message, oh, it’s a spam message,' but that’s truly scary," McCall said. "These messages are going out to thousands of young African-American students who fought just as hard to get into college as everybody else did and make opportunities for themselves to thrive, and getting those messages and then walking around or not even going to class because you’re scared to walk on your own campus. It’s not fair.”A statement from the University of Alabama said, “It is our understanding that individuals across the country have received these disgusting messages. This has been reported to authorities, and we’re asking anyone who may have information regarding these messages to report it to the appropriate authorities. UA students who have seen or received such messages are also encouraged to contact the Office of Student Care and Well-Being for any additional support that may be needed.”Alyse’s mother, Arleta McCall, feels that’s not enough. She made a post on Facebook that now has more than 4,000 shares.“I’m not just going to sit back quietly and let anyone just sweep it up under the rug and say, ‘Well, let’s just follow protocol,’ and do this and do that,” Arleta McCall said. “No, some changes need to be made. I need to know what is going to happen to make sure that not only my child, but any child that attends the University of Alabama, is safe.”WVTM 13 reached out to local law enforcement and was told being racist is not illegal, but if people start being harassed or a hate crime is committed, that changes things. Around the countryThe FBI and other agencies are looking into similar text messages from around the country this week. The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents. The leaders of several civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”Right now, it’s unclear where the messages started.Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.This article contains information from The Associated Press.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —
A troubling text message was received by Black students in a number of states, including Alabama. Some feel the message is rooted in racism.
Students at the University of Alabama and others across the country got a text message on Wednesday letting them know they were selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.
Freshman Alyse McCall said she was in class when she got the text, and it brought her to tears.
The message read, in part, "You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Be ready at 1:00 p.m. SHARP with your belongings."
McCall said the number of Black students at the university is already small, so getting this text to her personal phone is extremely uncomfortable. She feels she had to speak up about why this isn’t OK.
“I can say, ‘Oh, it’s a spoof message, oh, it’s a spam message,' but that’s truly scary," McCall said. "These messages are going out to thousands of young African-American students who fought just as hard to get into college as everybody else did and make opportunities for themselves to thrive, and getting those messages and then walking around or not even going to class because you’re scared to walk on your own campus. It’s not fair.”
A statement from the University of Alabama said, “It is our understanding that individuals across the country have received these disgusting messages. This has been reported to authorities, and we’re asking anyone who may have information regarding these messages to report it to the appropriate authorities. UA students who have seen or received such messages are also encouraged to contact the Office of Student Care and Well-Being for any additional support that may be needed.”
Alyse’s mother, Arleta McCall, feels that’s not enough. She made a post on Facebook that now has more than 4,000 shares.
“I’m not just going to sit back quietly and let anyone just sweep it up under the rug and say, ‘Well, let’s just follow protocol,’ and do this and do that,” Arleta McCall said. “No, some changes need to be made. I need to know what is going to happen to make sure that not only my child, but any child that attends the University of Alabama, is safe.”
WVTM 13 reached out to local law enforcement and was told being racist is not illegal, but if people start being harassed or a hate crime is committed, that changes things.
This content is imported from Facebook. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Around the country
The FBI and other agencies are looking into similar text messages from around the country this week. The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied in wording. Some of them mentioned the incoming presidential administration.
David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate-related incidents.
The leaders of several civil rights organizations condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said, “Hate speech has no place in the South or our nation.”
“The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized.”
Right now, it’s unclear where the messages started.
Nick Ludlum, a senior vice president for the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said “wireless providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are aggressively working to block them and the numbers that they are coming from.”
This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
This article contains information from The Associated Press.
English (US)