Nationwide racist texts target UNC students in the Black community

UPDATE: This story was updated to include information from UNC Media Relations received after the time of publication.

Multiple Black students at UNC — and across the nation — received anonymous racist text messages within the past week.

Messages “selected” Black students to work at plantations, with some variations identifying the recipient by name or saying they would transport the recipient, including pick-up times and vehicle descriptions. 

In an email sent Friday afternoon to student groups that UNC Media Relations described as “most likely to be impacted” by the messages, Dean of Students Desirée Rieckenberg wrote that UNC received multiple reports of “anonymous racist texts that have been sent to members of the Carolina community.”

Rieckenberg wrote that the University confirmed that the text messages have been sent to individuals at colleges and universities across the country, and offered campus resources to students seeking support. She wrote that the University wants students to feel supported, respected and feel “a sense of belonging” at UNC. 

“UNC Police is investigating the incidents on campus and is actively assisting law enforcement officials in their investigations,” she wrote.

Attorney General and Gov.-elect Josh Stein’s office has been working with federal and industry partners to investigate who may be sending the texts, N.C. Department of Justice Press Secretary Nazneen Ahmed wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel. 

Ahmed wrote that the Attorney General’s office encourages recipients to report the messages by calling 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or filing a complaint with the state DOJ office. Attorney General-elect and current Congressman Jeff Jackson shared the same resources in another email statement.

“These are disgusting, racist text messages,” Jackson wrote to The DTH. “We need to find the people responsible and hold them accountable.” 

In an email to The DTH, Senior Director of UNC Media Relations Kevin Best said that the University is “appalled and saddened” to hear about the messages.

“Discriminatory behavior in any form toward any individual or group is unacceptable,” Best said. “We encourage those who received these messages to report them, and we will take all necessary steps to address this with law enforcement.”

UNC Media Relations did not confirm how many texts were reported at the University but said students can report messages to UNC Police in person at the Public Safety Building, by calling 919-962-8100 or by completing an online reporting form on the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office’s website.  

After multiple requests to speak with UNC Police Chief Brian James, Media Relations wrote to The DTH that nobody was available for an interview at the time of publication.

After the time of publication, Media Relations shared a statement from James.

“UNC Police takes this issue very seriously," James said in the statement. "Racist discourse and intimidation have no place in our society, in our community or on our campus. We are working to determine the source of these messages and encourage anyone who receives these messages to please report them.” 

UNC’s Black Student Movement President Samantha Greene said that for the past couple of years, it has felt like Black students are being pushed out of UNC, referencing the statistic that admitted Black students in UNC’s class of 2028 decreased by approximately 25 percent from prior years.

“It's one thing for administration or a school to maybe not support you as much as you want, but it's a whole other thing for your peers to be violent, whether it be physically or verbally, to you,” Greene said.

She said that the way UNC responds will tell her how seriously the University takes racism on campus.

“A fight has to be made for us to defend ourselves,” Greene said. “And I know a lot of students are feeling very tired of defending ourselves, and so it would be nice to see the University finally defend us for once.”

Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, released a statement on Nov. 7 condemning the messages. He described the threats and their references to slavery as deeply disturbing, perpetuating a “legacy of evil” predating the Jim Crow era. 

"The unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” Johnson wrote. “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results.”

Greene said the messages are blatant racism, and the level of comfort people have to send them "speaks volumes."

“We can sense it in the way you look at us and when you talk to us, even if you coat it with nice words, we're still, you know, able to tell,” she said.

Greene spoke about the idea that some people think the Black community on campus is overdramatic for worrying about the election results or how the University handles certain messages.

“To those students who feel that UNC is too political, or that students are doing too much on our campus, or that, you know, we all just need to calm down, you should've had 1,000 wakeup calls,” Greene said. “But if you haven't at this point, really take a look at the University we have that we're sitting with right now and ask yourself, if you are a minority, would you feel safe? And if the answer is no, you should be doing something about it.”

In a Nov. 7 statement, the FBI wrote that they are aware of the messages sent across the country and are in contact with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities.

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