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Racist text messages are being reported in many states
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Racist text messages are being reported in many states

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Racist text messages are being sent to Black Americans in Ohio and around the nationWe tell them that they have been selected to be enslaved and assigned to pick cotton in a field.

The widespread messages are being reported in many states and screenshots are going viral on social media sites. The details of the messages vary but follow the same basic scenario.

Students seem to be some of the intended buyers.

“Some students received these hateful text messages,” said Ohio State University spokesman Ben Johnson. “We have reported the messages to the Office for Corporate Equality and are providing support services. We recognize this is happening at a national level.”

Columbus State Community College spokesman Brent Wilder confirmed that students at the college were receiving spam messages. University officials could not determine how many students there were.

“This is racism at its highest level,” Columbus NAACP President Nana Watson said. “From what I’ve seen, I believe this was a hate crime.”

Mary Banks said her 16-year-old daughter received a hateful message at 8.12pm on Wednesday and it included her full name. Several of her daughter’s friends in the Columbus City School district received similar messages.

Banks said he wasn’t surprised that racial hatred was surfacing. “I feel like white supremacy is getting stronger after the election. That’s my personal opinion.”

Ohio Attorney General’s Office is investigating racist text messages

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office is aware of the text messages and a team is reviewing them, his spokesman said.

The messages appear to come from phone numbers with Ohio area codes. A check of some numbers shows that these are landlines that cannot send text messages. This could be a sign that the text messages are part of something. fraud fraud.

That’s what counterfeiting does A call or message appears to be coming from a known contact or local organization.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate incidents across the country, said in a statement that the text sent to young black people was “a public display of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history.”

“Leaders at every level must condemn anti-Black racism in whatever form it takes, and we must follow up our words with actions that advance racial justice and build an inclusive democracy where everyone feels safe and welcome in their community.” said Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Dispatch reporter Sheridan Hendrix contributed to this report.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio..