Racist text messages are being sent to Black Americans in Ohio and around the nation, telling them they're selected to be enslaved and assigned to pick cotton on a plantation.

The widespread messages are being reported in multiple states and screenshots are going viral on social media sites. The messages vary in details, but follow the same basic script.

Students seem to be some of the targeted recipients.

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"Some students have received these hateful text messages," said Ohio State University spokesman Ben Johnson. "We have reported the messages to the Office of Institutional Equity and are offering support services. We are aware that this is happening nationally."

Columbus State Community College spokesperson Brent Wilder confirmed students at the college have received spam messages. College officials weren’t able to quantify how many students.

"This is racism at its highest," said Columbus NAACP President Nana Watson. "I believe it is a hate crime as I see it."

Mary Banks said her 16-year-old daughter received a hate text message at 8:12 p.m. Wednesday and it included her full name. A few of her daughter's friends in the Columbus City Schools received similar messages.

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Banks said she's not surprised that racist hatred would surface. "I feel white supremacy got stronger after the election. That's my personal opinion."

FBI, Ohio Attorney General's Office aware of racist text messages

In a tweet on its X account, The FBI said: "The FBI is aware of the racist and offensive text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal agencies about the matter.

"As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement agencies."

In response to the FBI tweet, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican representing Kentucky's 4th Congressional district, replied on his X account: "It’s probably y’all sending them. Pack your bags."

Republican Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office is also aware of the text messages and has a team looking into it, his spokeswoman said.

The messages appear to be coming from phone numbers with Ohio area codes. A check of some of the numbers show they are landlines, which cannot send text messages. That could be a sign that the text messages are part of a spoofing scam.

Spoofing makes it look like a call or text is coming from a known contact or local entity.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate incidents nationwide, said in a statement that the text sent to young Black people "is a public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history."

“Leaders at all levels must condemn anti-Black racism, in any form, whenever we see it — and we must follow our words with actions that advance racial justice and build an inclusive democracy where every person feels safe and welcome in their community,” said Margaret Huang, SPLC president and CEO.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Dispatch reporter Sheridan Hendrix contributed to this report.

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.