New York Attorney General Letitia James has publicly condemned a series of racist and threatening text messages sent to students in the Nyack School District and other areas across New York State.
The disturbing messages, reported to local authorities, targeted Black and Brown students with threats of slavery and deportation. Students who received the texts reported being told they were “selected to pick cotton” at plantations. The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have joined the investigation to identify the sources behind these malicious messages.
“The racist text messages targeting New Yorkers, including middle school, high school, and college students, are disgusting and unacceptable,” said Attorney General James. “I unequivocally condemn any attempt to intimidate or threaten New Yorkers and their families. I encourage anyone in New York who has received an anonymous, threatening text message to report it to my office.”
Nyack School District Superintendent Lizzette Ruiz-Giovinazzi addressed the issue in a letter to families, informing them that law enforcement is working to trace the source of the messages. “These text messages were sent specifically to Black and Brown students from our middle and high school,” Ruiz-Giovinazzi stated. “While there are slight variations in the wording, these texts are horrific and explicitly racist, specifically threatening ‘to make students slaves, take them to plantations to pick cotton or that they will be deported to Africa.’”
In recent days, similar messages have surfaced nationwide, targeting individuals with racist language and often including personal information about the recipients, such as names and locations. These messages often claim that individuals have been “selected to pick cotton at [their] nearest plantation” or “chosen to be a slave.”
The Attorney General’s Office encourages anyone who has received a similar message to report it to the Civil Rights Bureau by calling 800-771-7755, emailing civil.rights@ag.ny.gov, or filing a complaint online.