Central WA student targeted in racist chain text: ‘Utterly in shock’

SILVERDALE, Wash. - A central Washington college student has gone viral on TikTok after sharing a shocking racist text message she received the night after Election Day.

Izellah Rainier, a native of Silverdale who identifies as Filipino-Barbadian-Irish, shared her experience online, which drew hundreds of thousands of views and a flood of responses from people nationwide.

Rainier says the unsettling incident occurred on Nov. 6, around 8:20 p.m., while she was studying. The message, sent from an unknown number, was followed by a nearly identical text about 30 minutes later from a different source.

The offensive message read:

"I was just utterly in shock, and I'm still in shock," Rainier shared.

After posting about the incident on TikTok, Rainier discovered she wasn't alone. Supporters reached out to check on her well-being, and she learned that other people of color across the country had received similar messages. She believes the texts were part of a coordinated chain thread targeting minorities.

"I see light at the end of the tunnel because of this support," Rainier said. "This is happening not only to adults, this is happening to children all across the country."

The FBI says it has been in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities regarding these racist messages.

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