The UW-Madison Police Department. (Corey Coyle photo)
University of Wisconsin-Madison campus police made a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Friday regarding racist text messages being sent to students. “UWPD is aware of reports that Black UW-Madison students have received racist text messages as part of a nationwide wave of messages that began on Thursday,” the department posted.
Racist text messages were sent to Black Americans across the country following Donald Trump’s presidential election victory. Many of the text messages told recipients they had been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation, and that they should be prepared to be collected by a van to be taken there.. The texts were sent to people in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia, and elsewhere.
The police department post said the department is “committed to the safety of the UW-Madison campus and community, and we take all reports seriously.” The department has encouraged anyone who feels unsafe or threatened to call (608) 264-2677. The department said callers should dial 911 in an emergency.
A portion of a racist text message received by several people across the country. (Wisconsin Examiner photo illustration)
Along with people in other communities across the nation, some Wisconsinites woke up Thursday morning to racist text messages ordering them to report to “the nearest plantation.” The texts came less than 48 hours after former President Donald Trump won the presidential race against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.
Lydia, a mother in Milwaukee who didn’t want her last name published, received the text just before 2:30 a.m. She saw it two hours later, when she woke up about 4:30 a.m. The message addressed her by name.
“You have been selected to pick cutton [sic] at the nearest plantation,” the message reads. “Be ready at 12PM SHARP with your belongings. Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van, be prepared to be searched down once you’ve entered the plantation. You are in Plantation Group S.”
An example of the racist text messages which have been shared with Wisconsin Examiner. The recipient’s identifying informaiton has been redacted. (Photo | Isiah Holmes)
After seeing the text, Lydia posted the text online and searched to see if they had appeared elsewhere. “The crazy thing about it is they spelled cotton wrong,” she told Wisconsin Examiner with a chuckle. Still, she found the text message startling and chilling.
“I mean obviously, I knew the election was on the fence,” she said. “So, to have this happen right after the president is elected…”
Lydia said that she understood “where we were at with everything, like I kind of knew it could go this way.” After receiving the text message, however, “slowly I felt violated, felt fearful because it’s like a lot of supporters are really, you know, wanting to go back to that…To that 1800’s vibe…I was very concerned.” The text made her, and others in her community, feel threatened and disgusted, she said.
Similar text messages have been reported in Alabama, Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, and elsewhere. Although not word-for-word copies, the text messages all say that the recipient has been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation, that a van — sometimes brown, sometimes white — driven by “our executive slaves” will be picking recipients up to take them to a plantation where they will be searched.
All the text messages appear to assign the recipient to a different “plantation group” organized by letters. Some of the texts end with “sincerely, the Trump Administration.”
Wisconsin Examiner attempted to contact two of the numbers sending out the texts. One was no longer in service, and another led to a generic voicemail box.
Lydia said the text reminded her of the rally Trump held at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Oct. 27, nine days before Election Day. There, comedian Tony Hedgecliff called Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean,” said that Puerto Ricans “love making babies” and made remarks involving Black people and watermelon before a crowd of laughing Trump supporters.
“There’s just certain things you just don’t say,” said Lydia. “It doesn’t feel safe being Black in America. But now that he is president, it’s really out there. And people are really concerned, and people are really scared.”
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