On Wednesday, Black college students in various states notified authorities that they received anonymous text messages containing racist language related to the history of slavery in the U.S.

The messages differed in specifics but generally had a common theme, claiming that the recipients had “been chosen to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”

As of Thursday, officials were unable to pinpoint the source of the messages.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes across the nation, along with local authorities in Ohio, Alabama, South Carolina, and other states, are looking into the matter, which coincidentally occurred after Donald Trump’s election announcement.

The sender of the messages and the total number sent remain undetermined. Some messages purported to be from “A Trump supporter.”

The FBI issued a statement acknowledging the offensive racist text messages and indicated they are working with the Justice Department and other federal entities regarding this issue.

Civil rights advocates, including representatives from the SPLC and the NAACP in Columbus, asserted that the nature of these messages constitutes hate crimes.

Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, described the messages as “a public display of hatred and racism that disrespects our civil rights legacy” in a public statement on Thursday.

Huang urged political leaders to “condemn anti-Black racism in any form whenever it arises.”

Experts specializing in domestic extremism expressed their astonishment at the messages, explaining to YSL News that this strategy appears to be an unprecedented method used by white supremacist groups or hate factions.

“This is the first instance I’ve encountered of this kind of racial attack executed via texts – it feels alarmingly personal and distressing,” stated Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “I have also never observed such directly threatening racist messages targeting individuals.”

Which students are receiving these racist texts?

Investigations into the text messages commenced after reports indicated that students from various institutions, including Clemson University in South Carolina, Ohio State, and the University of Alabama received them.

However, not all recipients were college-aged.

Mary Banks, whose daughter is in Columbus, Ohio, reported that her 16-year-old received one of the hateful text messages on Wednesday, which included her full name. Several of her daughter’s friends in the Columbus City School district received similar texts too.

Banks mentioned that she wasn’t shocked by the emergence of racist hate at this time in history.

“I feel that white supremacy has intensified after the election,” she remarked.

Ben Johnson, a representative for Ohio State University, told The Columbus Dispatch, associated with the YSL News NETWORK, that hateful messages were sent to “several students.”

Bethany McCorkle, a spokesperson for Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office, stated that they are aware of the messages and are investigating further.

Nana Watson, president of the Columbus NAACP, expressed that she believes the text messages qualify as a hate crime.

“This represents racism at its peak,” Watson asserted.

Diedre Simmons, a representative for the University of Alabama, informed the school publication The Crimson White that the university has reported similar messages directed at their students to local authorities. Authorities at Clemson University are also probing racist text messages sent to Black students in South Carolina, as reported by the Greenville News, part of the YSL News NETWORK.

R.J. Polite, a senior at Clemson, expressed his shock after receiving a variant of the text, noting the negativity prevalent on social media following Trump’s election results. “It was ignorant and somewhat childish,” Polite remarked. “I really tried to avoid looking at my phone and social media for the day, as there was just too much going on. It was terrible.”

Who is behind these messages?

The origins of the text messages remain uncertain.

Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, mentioned that this marks the first instance of a widespread racist text campaign she’s encountered. Tracking down those responsible might be challenging depending on the campaign’s scale, she explained.

That remains open to question.

“We still need to determine how extensive this is,” Caraballo noted. “If there were just a few hundred texts, a local hate group could initiate that in a day as a trolling maneuver, but if it involves thousands or tens of thousands of people, it would likely necessitate automation and a certain degree of sophistication.”

If the offensive is widespread, Caraballo indicated that one cannot overlook the possibility of foreign influence aimed at creating discord in the U.S., coming to the fore after the presidential election. She referenced reports of bomb threats targeting predominantly Black polling stations on election day traced back to Russian email addresses.

Malicious individuals can easily acquire lists of phone numbers – sometimes organized by race or demographics – through the dark web for various purposes ranging from marketing to cybercrimes, according to Caraballo.

In certain states where voter information is accessible to the public, such as details about an individual’s race, this data can be amalgamated with phone records to create targeted campaigns like this.