Federal and state authorities are working to find the origins of racist text messages sent to Black people across the country threatening them with slavery and telling them they were “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.

A federal investigation is underway after racist text messages were sent to Black people in several states this week, including in Ohio.

Racist text messages were sent to scores of Black people the day after the election telling them they had been “selected” to pick cotton “at the nearest plantation.”