Activism

San Francisco Students Received Racist Texts Following Election Day

Schools have reported that students were already feeling uneasy and anxious after the announcement of former President Donald Trump winning the presidential election and the texts added to their stress and high emotions.

Published

7 months ago

November 16, 2024

Magaly Muñoz

Students in San Francisco received racist texts in the days following the General Election. Local community faith leaders and families are demanding these messages be taken seriously by the school district. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

Students in the San Francisco Unified School District received disturbing racist text messages in the days following the Nov. 5 General Election.

The messages specifically targeted Black kids with texts saying “you have been selected to pick cotton” and “you are in Plantation Group X”.

The Associated Press reported that these types of messages have been sent to dozens of Black youth and adults across the country. The FBI and other government agencies are investigating the texts.

SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Maria Su and SF NAACP President Dr. Amos Brown issued a joint statement condemning the racist attacks, saying “we will not tolerate hate in our city.”

The statement said the district will be partnering with the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) to provide support for those affected. Students who received the texts will have access to wellness support and resources from the community to foster inclusive environments.

Additionally, the district will be working with law enforcement to further investigate these messages.

“Racism of any kind has no place in our community. We do not tolerate any instance of hate, bigotry or racism in San Francisco schools and we actively work to support SFUSD staff with implementing anti-racist approaches both in and out of the classroom,” the statement said.

The SF NAACP held a town hall over the weekend to further renounce the racist attacks on Black families across the city. Brown called on the community to come together to support those who received the messages.

Members of the community also attended the SFUSD Board meeting Tuesday night to express their anger over the situation.

“We should not take lightly those texts,” Brown said at the meeting.

He claimed that this is not the first time that students have been victimized with texts in the district.

Brown called on the board to bring back programs that were benefiting Black students but were cut along the way by “persons in high places” in the district. He said that they need to continue to try to make a difference in the lives of Black students and “do it with dispatch.”

The district is encouraging people to report the messages if they receive them.

“Anyone who receives these troubling text messages should contact local law enforcement or your local FBI field office at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or visit FBI.gov/tips. You can also forward the message to the Federal Trade Commission’s reporting system at 7726, which helps your wireless provider block similar messages. Additionally, report the message within your messaging app by marking it as junk or spam, or submit a report to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.,” the district wrote.

People can also report hate incidents to visit CA vs Hate, which is a part of the CA Civil Rights Department. CA vs Hate can also be reached by calling (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE, Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 6 PM. The CA vs Hate line is available in over 200 languages.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate program. The program is supported by partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to https://www.cavshate.org/

Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper.

Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities.

The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Magaly Muñoz

A graduate of Sacramento State University, Magaly Muñoz’s journalism experience includes working for the State Hornet, the university’s student-run newspaper and conducting research and producing projects for “All Things Considered” at National Public Radio. She also was a community reporter for El Timpano, serving Latino and Mayan communities, and contributed to the Sacramento Observer, the area’s African American newspaper. Muñoz is one of 40 early career journalists who are part of the California Local News Fellowship program, a state-funded initiative designed to strengthen local news reporting in California, with a focus on underserved communities. The fellowship program places journalism fellows throughout the state in two-year, full-time reporting positions.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

Published

4 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.