Fort Lauderdale woman receives racist text telling her to go to 'nearby fields'

The day after the November 5 election, political strategist and campaign consultant Corryn Freeman had just finished work and was focused on live streaming on TikTok when she checked her phone and saw a text message from an unknown number. .

The inscription read: “Hello, you have been chosen to pick cotton in the fields nearby.” Be ready by 12am November 13, 2024 SHARP and your belongings. Our Exclusive Slaves will pick you up in a brown van, ready to be searched when you arrive at the plantation. No personal items allowed this is a new start! He is plant group C.”

Freeman, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, said she immediately fears for her well-being.

“I just said 'wow, what is this?' We all get spam messages but nothing tells me that I have been selected to be a slave and I will go to the fields to pick cotton,” he told the Miami Herald on Monday.

These messages appeared to be aimed at Freeman on purpose because she is a black woman who works in politics. But when they shared the text online, friends living in different states said their children received the same messages.

“This is an attempt to create a scare tactic or to make some waves, to use the division that is happening in the region right now,” said Freeman.

Freeman is one of many people — mostly Black — who have received messages in several states, including Alabama, California, Georgia, New York, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, the Associated Press reported. The messages include a variation of what Freeman received.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Federal Communications Commission have opened an investigation into the text messages. “The FBI is aware of offensive and discriminatory messages being sent to individuals across the country and is contacting the Department of Justice and other authorities regarding this matter,” the FBI statement read. “As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical abuse to local law enforcement.”

“These messages are not acceptable. That's why our legal office is already investigating and looking closely together with law enforcement and the government,” said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel in a statement. “We take this type of identification very seriously.”

It's unclear how many messages were sent and why the recipients were targeted, but at least one other person in Florida has come forward to say they received the message. In Jacksonville, former City of Jacksonville Community Initiatives Director Lakesha Burton shared a screenshot of the message she received on her Facebook page, NewsJax4 reported.

“This is very ignorant,” he wrote when he wrote the post. “Whoever does this has a dark heart and wishes to stir up anger, pain and chaos.”

Freeman also expressed similar sentiments, saying that the timing of the messages did not just appear and that whoever sent the texts knew about the differences in the country.

“I think whoever it is, whatever the reason, whatever the reason, they understand the root and they knew how to send this because they knew that racial outbursts can make waves,” he said. “Anyone who tries to do this is trying to prevent further division in the country at a very critical time.”

Freeman said he is fine, but he is worried about his friends' children. “I really care that they get it and they have to process it and find out what this means,” she said.

Freeman said he reported the messages to the Broward County District Attorney's Office and the FBI. He also encouraged other people to report the messages to the FBI's tipline.

“I am sure that something will be taken, an investigation will be done,” he said. “I don't know if they're going to be able to catch whoever did it, but I believe we're being taken to reduce that, and I think it happened very quickly.”

To report the messages, recipients can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.