Days After Trump Win the Racist Text Messages Begin; Every Virginia County Voted the Same as 2020 — Except One
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Trump Elected and It Begins: Racist Messages to High School Students in Virginia and Beyond
Shortly after election day Nov. 5 and the news of a second victory for Donald Trump, a torrent of racist text messages were sent to Black people around the nation. The recipients included high school students in Virginia.
During Trump’s presidential term in office from 2017 to 2021 there was an uptick in racists threats and hate directed at Black people in the U.S. The FBI reported the uptick to Congress.
“Hate crimes have surged nearly 20 percent during the administration of President Donald Trump, according to a new FBI report on hate crime statistics. The report also shows that hate-motivated murders, largely committed by white supremacists, spiked to their highest number in 28 years,” reported Newsweek in Nov. 2020.
RELATED: Deadly hate crime levels surge in latest FBI reporting - CNN, Nov. 16, 2020
“Racist texts flood Black people’s phones — BEFORE Trump’s 2nd term. Hate crime surged nearly 20 % during his 1st term, hate-motivated murders, spiked to the highest # in 28 yrs. Hate speech is THE permission slip for hate crime, but you blame the VP for HER message. Hate sells,” stated former NAACP President Cornell Brooks on Nov. 8.
The FBI responded on Nov. 7, 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 unfortunate reality of electing a President who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes. The threat — and the mention of slavery in 2024 — is not only deeply disturbing, but perpetuates a legacy of evil that dates back to before the Jim Crow era, and now seeks to prevent Black Americans from enjoying the same freedom to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. These actions are not normal. And we refuse to let them be normalized," said Derrick Johnson, the President of the national NAACP.
“Today my office received an email that was a threat on my life. Despite being told not to contact the authorities,that’s EXACTLY what I’ve done. While I’m taking this seriously, let ME be clear, I am NOT the one! I DON’T RUN, I DON’T HIDE & I FIGHT BACK! #FAFO,” wrote State Senator Angelia Williams Graves on Nov. 10.
Threats of all types are received by elected officials on a shockingly regular basis. But now that Trump has won a second term in office there will almost definitely be an increase.
Virginia Creates Resource Hub to Improve Student Outcomes
Nathaniel Cline for Virginia Mercury - Virginia legislators, educators and parents were surprised to learn in the past few months how many schools failed to meet expectations under a new accountability system compared to an older system that showed most schools were accredited.
During an announcement on Friday about the Department of Education’s new Road to Readiness Hub to help improve student and school performance, the agency’s current reports showed most schools were meeting or are on track to meet expectations compared to a report presented in August demonstrating that more than half of schools lagged behind and required support, based on 2023-24 data. READ ENTIRE
Virginians Among Most Sleep-Deprived on Election Night
WAVY — Virginians were among the most sleep-deprived on election night, according to a new survey. Following Tuesday night, HostingAdvice revealed statistics to show the most sleep-deprived states and the average bedtime. READ ENTIRE
WRIC: Every Virginia County Voted the Same as 2020 — Except One
Even though Vice President Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election, she secured a win against former President Donald Trump in Virginia. Nonetheless, the race was closer than it was in 2020.
Harris ended up with 51.8% of Virginia’s vote as of Saturday Nov. 9, down almost 3% from the 2020 election. With that, Trump finished with more votes than he did in both 2020 — winning 46.6% of the votes in Virginia.
According to election maps provided by AP, all of Virginia voted the same as in 2020 — all except for one county which flipped to Trump this election. That county is Prince Edward County located southwest of Richmond. READ ENTIRE
American Legion Spotlights Be the One Mission to Reduce Veteran Suicide
As the country celebrates Veterans Day, The American Legion is shining a spotlight on the issue of veterans suicide and the activities of its Be the One mission. The No. 1 issue currently facing the veteran community is suicide. It is estimated that between 17 and 22 veterans or service members take their lives each day. Thats more than 6,000 annually since 2001. And the rate of suicide for veterans is more than 50% higher than that for non-veteran adults.
Be the One is a national platform for reducing the rate of veteran suicide. Its goals are to de-stigmatize asking for mental health support, provide peer-to-peer support and resources, and educate everyone on how they can Be the One. How can people get involved?
An easy first step is to take 90 minutes to attend a free online training program on suicide prevention, presented in partnership with Columbia University. Topics covered in the training include determining at-risk individuals, identifying risk factors and warning signs, recognizing four behaviors that indicate imminent risk, and communicating effectively with an individual who may be at risk of hurting themselves.
Register here.https://www.legion.org/advocacy/be-the-one/be-the-one-training or RSVP by replying to this email.
Interviews with Be the One Chairman Waco Hoover are available to delve deeper into this important issue and how people can assist The American Legion achieving its goals.
Thank you, Sinan Kanatsiz
CEO, KCOMM for American Legion
sinan@kcomm.com
After Election Debriefs
🗓️ Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia is hosting our post-election update on November 14th. https://ppaf.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIpd-Ghqz0jEtb3m8tMCsliDGFt81A4CEhy#/registration
🗓️ Sunday, November 17th, 6:00pm: Virginia Grassroots Coalition Meeting. Zoom Link: https://georgetown.zoom.us/j/98422844279
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