UNC, AG’s office investigating after students receive racist texts referencing slavery
The North Carolina attorney general’s office and UNC-Chapel Hill police are investigating after some students this week received anonymous, racist text messages, part of a nationwide trend that seemingly began soon after Tuesday’s presidential election.
Several news outlets have reported that the text messages appear to follow a similar script, telling recipients that they “have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation” and instructing them to report at a specified date and time.
Attorney General Josh Stein wrote on X Thursday afternoon that his office “is aware of racist messages being sent to North Carolinians.” Stein referred to the messages as “robotexts” and said his office is “working with federal and industry partners to investigate the source” of the messages.
UNC spokesperson Beth Keith confirmed to The News & Observer that the texts some UNC students received used the same language as others reported around the state and country since Tuesday. UNC police are investigating the messages and are working with state authorities in doing so, Keith told The N&O.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts told The News & Observer at a Board of Trustees meeting Thursday that “obviously, any racist or threatening text messages are unacceptable.”
“Any hatred in our community is unacceptable, and we’ll take all necessary steps to look into this incident and address it,” Roberts said.
The messages, which appear to target Black people, have also been reported at college campuses in Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, Ohio and other states.
In a separate incident tied to Tuesday’s election, a photo is also circulating among students at UNC Greensboro that shows two water fountains on campus being racially segregated by labels posted above them. The university said in a statement Tuesday that it was aware of the “disturbing photos,” but that officials determined through an investigation that the incident was “staged.”
“Upon investigation, we’ve learned that a student staged this photo and posted it on social media to encourage their friends to vote and not to create a threatening or hostile environment,” the university said on X, adding that there were no “no direct or immediate safety concerns” for the campus.
Stein on Thursday directed anyone receiving the racist messages to contact his office at 1-877-5-NO-SCAM or ncdoj.gov/complaint, or to contact local law enforcement.
