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

6 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.

Posts by Magaly Muñoz

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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 May 14 – 20, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 14 – 20, 2025

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2025

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post

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Activism

The Best Advice for Raising Children: Discipline That Makes Sense

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2025

Oakland Post

Headshot of Dr. William A. Thomas. Photo courtesy of Dr. William A. Thomas.

By William A. Thomas, Ph.D.

In many African societies, the primary aim of socialization is to raise children to be socially responsible and eventually provide economic support to their parents and extended families. Ghanaian philosopher Kwame Gyekye taught that children are raised to be respectful of the wishes of their parents and extended adult family members.

In his book Developing Positive Self Images and Discipline in Black Children, Dr. Jawanza Kunjufu suggests that primary aims for socializing Black children should be: establishing goals related to God and the church; familiarizing children with religious texts like the Bible or Quran; educating them of Black culture like Khemetic (Egyptian) Civilization; enlightening them about Black leaders like Malcolm X and Sojourner Truth; and teaching them to strive to be employers, not employees.

Effective disciplinary strategies appropriate to a child’s age and development teach them to regulate their behavior; keep them from harm; enhance their cognitive, social, and emotional executive functioning skills; and reinforce the behavioral patterns taught by their parents and caregivers.

Below are some specific guidelines for disciplining children.

Listen to what children are talking about with interest and show them you understand their feelings. Remember, children mirror and learn about their emotional selves by hearing their feelings reflected back to them. Staying on target also means avoiding labels. When children fail to do what is expected, discussing it is helpful rather than saying how stubborn, lazy, dumb, or bad they are. By the same token, more positive labels can be helpful.

Dependability is another essential component of the discipline process. When parents are dependable, their children learn what to expect and are helped to feel secure. When parents are consistent, children learn to trust, that is, predict their parents’ behaviors with certainty. A child thinks, “When I spill something, I will always be asked to wipe it up.” A child thinks, “If I use foul language, I will always be corrected.” A child thinks, “If I take something that doesn’t belong to me, I will always have to give it back.” The ability to predict with certainty leads children to rely on their parents and the village/community in which they live. Children feel safe when they know what to expect.

Conclusions

It takes a village/community to raise the divine gift that is the Black child. Parents look to therapists for guidance concerning a variety of parenting issues, including discipline. Keep in mind that evidence suggests that corporal punishment is both ineffective in the long term and associated with cognitive and mental health disorders. When parents want guidance about the use of spanking, a child therapist can explore parental feelings, help them better define the goals of discipline, and offer specific behavior management strategies. In addition to providing appropriate education to families, the Bay Area Association of Black Psychologists (Bay ABPsi) can refer them to community resources, like parenting groups and classes.

About the Author

Dr. Thomas is a licensed clinical psychologist with a private practice in the SF/Oakland Bay Area and Beaumont. He is a member of Bay ABPsi, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3^rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.