Students reported receiving racist texts targeting Black students from unknown numbers throughout the day on Nov. 8. Texts included language saying the recipients had been “selected as a slave” or “selected to pick cotton” and gave instructions on where to get picked up in a van by “executive slaves.”
Not all texts received were identical, but all contained variations of a similar message, with some including the recipients’ names. Students from schools across Tennessee — including Fisk University in Nashville — and in other states reported similar texts. According to USA Today, some of the texts said they came from “a Trump supporter.”
Sophomore Ousmane Dieng received one of these texts and described it as “very disgusting.”
“I hate to blame it on political parties, but I believe this is a direct result of some Republican behaviors,” Dieng said. “Not that they themselves are inherently racist, but that they have created a space where racists are comfortable mass texting Black people with this disgusting rhetoric.”
ReChard Peel, director of the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, sent an email to students yesterday instructing recipients of the texts to inform BCC staff.
“This text message is a hoax, and we recognize this type of so-called jokes are not funny and should not be tolerated. This issue has been shared with the university administration, and we hope to work with the institution to investigate this issue,” Peel’s email reads. “We want all of you to feel safe in this community, and it is our goal to continue to ensure that you feel that safety, security and belonging at Vanderbilt.”
An email from Student Affairs informed students of the text message campaign, which targeted Black students and described the messages as “offensive and racist.”
“We have reported the concerns to the Vanderbilt University Police Department, and it is our understanding that law enforcement agencies are aware and investigating this issue,” the email reads.
In a statement to the Hustler, a university representative reiterated what was said in the Student Affairs email and added that the university rejects and condemns all forms of hate.
