Message Received by Wright State Student | The Wright State Guardian
Students nationwide received threatening racist text messages from anonymous senders, a day after Trump won the Presidency. Students on Wright State’s campus were not spared.
The Messages
Black students at Wright State and across the nation reported receiving racist text messages from numerous anonymous phone numbers.
The messages were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, according to the Associated Press. While the messages varied from recipient to recipient, the general message was the same.
“CONGRATULATIONS! you have been selected to Pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Please Be prepared to leave your home November 24th, 2024. You will be picked up 8am sharp in our van. You will sit with Group B. Have a good day [Name of Student]!” the message reads.
It remains unclear how the sender got names and identity information of the individual students.
Tasha Dunham of Lodi, California told the Associated Press her 16-year-old daughter received one of these messages.
“I wasn’t in slavery. My mother wasn’t in slavery. But we’re a couple of generations away. So, when you think about how brutal and awful slavery was for our people, it’s awful and concerning,” Dunham said.
Some of the texts were labeled as coming from “A TRUMP SUPPORTER”.
Students’ reaction
Wright State students are understandably upset about the messages and the very apparent racism.
Kevin Whittler, a management major, explains his reaction.
“It’s not funny,” Whittler said. “Going out of your way to do that is just crazy. Cause Why? What do you gain?”
Emilia Ranalli, Deven Williams and a group of students saw the messages online and at other universities, including the University of Cincinnati.
“The only one I saw was on Tiktok. It was really, really bad,” Ranalli said.
Williams expressed that the messages just show Trump’s platform and his followers align themselves with racists and are racist.
“I feel like that kind of shows that’s the type of people. If it’s not a racist movement itself, that’s the type of people that align themselves with it,” Williams said.
On Wright State’s campus, the group noted that they haven’t heard or seen anything too extreme.
“I mean the worst I’ve seen is a Trump shirt, the day after the election which I felt was a little insensitive. But, I mean freedom of expression, I guess so I can’t really say anything” Williams said.
Whittler explained that he hadn’t had any bad experiences yet, but felt a notable shift in atmosphere on campus, following the election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
“Definitely an energy shift going on, you know, just around the union and stuff like that, just a different vibe, if you will,” Whittler remarked.
“I think the day after the election, on Wednesday, I felt really aware of the color of my skin,” Ranalli said.
Wright State’s reaction
The University provided the following statement to The Wright State Guardian regarding the messages Wright State Students received.
“Wright State University is aware of the situation and has referred the matter to the Division of Inclusive Excellence and the Department of Public Safety.”
