We’ve finally entered the find-out phase of this timeline. And unsurprisingly, the final boss looks a lot like the first boss—American Racism. Yes, it’s the racism. Not the economy, not the gender gap, not even the thorny intersectionality of identity politics. The culprit is the same force that has always roiled this racist nation: the enduring, shape-shifting undercurrent of white supremacy.
The recent wave of racist text messages targeting Black individuals across the United States is a cliché reminder. These messages, rife with references to slavery and laced with degrading language, may dominate a few news cycles. But they won’t likely leave much of a mark beyond the headlines and think pieces.
This isn’t one of those think pieces.
Dr. James B. Peterson
This is a direct message to the owner of those so-called “executive slaves,” the architects of these vile messages who believe they are clever, anonymous, and invincible.
We see you.
You can hide behind the cloak of artificial intelligence, weaponize the inherent biases baked into those systems, or sow racial disinformation into the cultural bloodstream. But we see you. And while you might imagine your actions as a revival of some bygone "golden age" of white supremacy, they’re little more than desperate flares from a dying ideology. For anyone who thinks one election result licenses them to indulge in their racist fantasies, we rebuke you. And then we move on.
These text messages—sent to Black Americans in states like Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Virginia—are the latest iteration of the same old racist playbook. According to reports from The Wall Street Journal, recipients were addressed by name and bombarded with statements like:
- “You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”
- “Our executive slaves will come to your address in a black SUV.”
The language is so cartoonishly racist that it would almost be laughable if it weren’t so insidious. These texts function not only as direct acts of harassment but also as a form of racialized psychological warfare aimed at reminding Black Americans—especially Black students—of their perceived place in this country’s enduring racial hierarchy.
These messages are meant to provoke. They’re designed to terrify, humiliate, and enrage. But their ultimate goal is the same goal of most modern iterations of racism: distraction. As the oft-quoted Toni Morrison so astutely observed, racism functions as a distraction, a ceaseless drag on the work of progress, diverting our energy to the defense of our humanity. Black Americans expend too much our precious energy addressing racism’s provocations rather than advancing our interests and serving the needs of our community.
To the sender of these texts: we understand your game. And we will not be distracted.
Many Black students—those you likely hoped to intimidate—are already acutely aware of how they are seen in this society. They know how some of their teachers and peers view them. Your texts don’t introduce new information; they merely underline what Black people have contended with for centuries. Your gleeful attempts at historical cosplay also fail to account for something important: our resilience. Black Americans have faced more sophisticated and devastating forms of racial terrorism than your weak words sent from the disinformation plantation. Your plantation is no match for centuries of collective resistance and the unwavering determination to build a future free of white supremacy.
These messages are not isolated incidents. They are part of a broader, disturbing trend of racialized disinformation. As Reuters reports, civil rights organizations, including the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center, have condemned these texts and called for swift accountability. Federal and state agencies, including the FBI and FCC, are investigating this mess, underscoring the fact that these petty crimes might not go unpunished.
The dystopic thing about modern racism is that it’s adaptive. In the same way that Jim Crow evolved into redlining, today’s racism has taken up residence in our algorithms and digital platforms. It hides behind anonymity, spreads through bots, and targets victims with the relentless precision of a Terminator robot.
This isn’t just a matter of technology; it’s a matter of accountability. If the platforms facilitating these messages refuse to take responsibility, then they are complicit. And if we, as a society, fail to respond decisively, we risk normalizing these attacks as just another ugly feature of our digital landscape.
If you or anyone you know has received some version of the racist note, please report it. As the Associated Press reminds us, you should do so immediately. Report it to local law enforcement and the FBI. Documentation is critical in holding these bad actors accountable.
As always, we remain vigilant. We recognize these messages for what they are: desperate attempts to reassert dominance in a society that is slowly, painfully, moving away from its racist roots.
We press forward. The fight against racism isn’t just about responding to its petty provocations; it’s about developing the constitution of our community in ways that make such provocations irrelevant. This is about ensuring that Black students can learn, grow, and thrive without the weight of this nation’s racial regressions diminishing their aspirational horizons.
To the sender of these texts, please note well that your actions have not gone unnoticed. But they will not deter or derail us. You are a reminder, not a revelation. A glitch, not a game-changer. While you revel in the shadows of your own hate, the rest of us will continue to do the work—the real work of making this world better. Enjoy your moment of anonymity. But know this: the future does not belong to you.
Dr. James B. Peterson is founder of Hip Hop Scholars, an organization devoted to developing the educational potential of Hip Hop. He is the author of Hip Hop Headphones: A Scholar's Critical Playlist.
