WASHINGTON (AP) — Racist text messages invoking slavery raised alarms across the country this week after being sent to black men, women and students, including middle schoolers, prompting investigations from the Ministry of Justice. FBI and other agencies.

The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including Maryland, new York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania And Tennessee. They generally used a similar tone but varied wording.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown confirmed that his office had received “multiple complaints regarding racist text messages sent to Black Marylanders, including school-age children.”

“These messages appear to be part of a national campaign and are horrific and unacceptable. » Brown said in a written statement. “If you have received one of these texts, please report it to local law enforcement for follow-up and to our Civil Rights Division for evaluation. There is no home for hate in Maryland.

Montgomery County Public Schools said in a statement: “We are aware that many people, including our students, received text messages today containing racist threats. We condemn these hateful communications and the fear they aim to instill.

The statement noted that law enforcement in some regions considers certain messages to be “low-level threats.”

“We recognize that the emotional and psychological impact on our students, staff and especially our communities of color is profound,” MCPS continued. “We stand in solidarity with those who feel targeted and hurt by these actions. »

Some text messages asked the recipient to come to an address at a specific time “with their belongings,” while others did not include a location. Some of them mentioned the new presidential administration of Republican Donald Trump, which has drawn criticism for racist attitudes and for a campaign closing rally that included racist comments.

It was not yet clear who was behind the messages and there was no complete list of where they were sent, but high school and college students were among the recipients.

The FBI said it was in contact with the Justice Department about the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating the texts “in conjunction with federal and state law enforcement.” . The Ohio Attorney General’s Office also said it was looking into the matter.

Tasha Dunham of Lodi, Calif., said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages Wednesday night before her basketball practice.

The text not only used his daughter’s name, but also ordered her to go to a “plantation” in North Carolina, where Dunham said they never lived. When they looked up the address, it was the location of a museum.

“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everyone is just trying to figure out what all this means to me? So, I really had a lot of fear and worry.

Her daughter initially thought it was a prank, but emotions are running high after Tuesday’s prank. presidential election. Dunham and his family thought it might be more harmful and reported it to local law enforcement.

“I was not in slavery. My mother was not in slavery. But we are a few generations away. So when you think about how brutal and horrible slavery was for our people, it’s horrible and concerning,” Dunham said.

About six middle school students in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, also received the messages, said Megan Shafer, interim superintendent of the Lower Merion School District.

“The racist nature of these text messages is extremely worrying, especially since children have been targeted,” she wrote in a letter to parents.

Students at some major universities, including Clemson in South Carolina and the University of Alabama, reported receiving the messages. The Clemson Police Department said in a statement that it was aware of the “deplorable racist text and email messages” and encouraged anyone who received one to report it.

Fisk University, a historically black college in Nashville, Tennessee, released a statement calling messages targeting some of its students “deeply disturbing.” He called for calm and assured students that the texts likely came from bots or bad actors with “no real intent or credibility.”

Nick Ludlum, senior vice president of the wireless industry trade group CTIA, said that “wireless service providers are aware of these threatening spam messages and are working to block them and phone numbers.” where they come from.

David Brody, director of the Digital Justice Initiative at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said they don’t know exactly who was behind the messages, but he estimated they were sent in more than 10 States, including most of the Southern States, Maryland. , Oklahoma and even the District of Columbia. The district’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that its intelligence unit was investigating the origin of the message.

Brody said a number of civil rights laws can be applied to hate incidents. Leaders of several other civil rights organizations have condemned the messages, including Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, who said“Hate speech has no place in the South or in our nation.”

“The threat – and mention of slavery in 2024 – is not only deeply disturbing, but continues a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to continue their lives. freedom and happiness,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “These actions are not normal. And we refuse to allow them to be normalized.

Banner staff contributed to this report.