Authorities across the United States are investigating after racist text messages – some with references to “slave catchers” and “picking cotton” reminiscent of the country’s painful and bigoted past – have been received by children,

Elderly folks are being targeted, too.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. The source of the text message threats remain unknown as many texts are coming from different phone numbers across the country,

The texts, sent after Election Day, targeted Blacks, including college students or younger, in at least 10 states, authorities say. The FBI is investigating.