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On The Record

Maryland AG investigates racist texts

By Ashley Sterner,
Melissa Gerr
Published November 15, 2024 at 11:27 AM EST
Racist texts messages popped up on the phones of Black people across the country, including in Maryland, in the wake of the presidential election. The Maryland Attorney General is investigating where they came from. Photo: Melissa Gerr, courtesy B.R.
Racist texts messages popped up on the phones of Black people across the country, including in Maryland, in the wake of the presidential election. The Maryland Attorney General is investigating where they came from. Photo: Melissa Gerr, courtesy B.R.

Racist text messages were sent to Black people across the country In the wake of the presidential election. The messages referenced slavery, and appear to be part of a coordinated harassment campaign. We hear from a local mother of a child who received one of these texts and ask Jonathon Smith, Chief of the Civil Rights Division of the State Attorney General’s office what people can do to protect themselves.

The Maryland Attorney General's Office Hate Crimes Hotline is 1-866-481-8361. You can also report a hate crime online at nohomeforhate.md.gov

Other resources: Maryland Commission on Civil Rights: 1-800-637-6247, Maryland Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention: [email protected] Maryland State Police: 1-800-525-5555, FBI Baltimore field office: (410) 265-8080 or tips.fbi.gov 

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On The Record On the RecordWYPR ProgramsRacism
Ashley Sterner
WYPR's Morning Edition news anchor Ashley Sterner serves up the latest Maryland news and weather every weekday morning, delightfully interspersed with the occasional snarky comment.
See stories by Ashley Sterner
Melissa Gerr
Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'
See stories by Melissa Gerr