SEATTLE — Izella Rainer is one of many Black Americans who received a racist text message Wednesday telling her that she was selected to pick cotton on a plantation.
"The first couple words were like slavery, plantation, you're getting sent and I was just like freaking out," she said. Rainer made a video on TikTok that's now gone viral, sharing with her followers what the text messages said. Both messages told her to meet at a certain time and that she was in a certain plantation group.
"It's heart-wrenching, truly heart-wrenching," she said.
The FBI has confirmed that these messages have been sent to Black Americans across the country. They are investigating and sent a statement saying, "The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter. As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities."
The Washington Attorney General's Office said it is also aware of the messages and is monitoring the situation.
Rainer said she got the text messages the day after the election.
"It's a little fishy, it's a little fishy," she said.
Leslie Braxton, a pastor at New Beginnings Fellowship in Kent, said he's disappointed but not surprised by these texts.
"This is kind of their end zone spike, kind of their dunk and hanging on the rim, kind of their in-your-face, the riot after the championship win," he said. "This is the cruel part of American culture, we are a part of and fight for the noble part but we have to fight through cruelty, we don't match it. Part of being Black in America is dealing with microaggressions every now and then people will say out in public what we know they say under their breath."
It's still unclear who sent the text messages, but TextNow, which offers free phone numbers online, said at least one of its accounts may have been involved and that they shut down the accounts and are working with authorities.
"They figured out demographics, so that's like the scariest part that this is only targeting people of color," Rainer said.