TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Azya Thornton on Nov 11, 2024

Racist, anonymous text messages invoking slavery were sent to Black students across the country last week, including at Fisk University in Nashville and the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. According to the Associated Press, the messages generally used a similar tone, but varied in wording. Some instructed recipients to show up at an address at a particular time “with your belongings,” while others mentioned the incoming presidential administration. Fisk issued a statement calling the messages “deeply unsettling.” Messages sent to UT students told recipients they had been selected to pick cotton at a nearby plantation with instructions on how to report to work. The FBI said it is in touch with the U.S. Justice Department, and the Federal Communications Commission said it is investigating the texts “alongside federal and state law enforcement."