A Bay Shore man is speaking out after receiving a racist text message - part of a disturbing trend that has been spreading across the country.

Antonio Molina, who identifies as a dark-skinned Puerto Rican, says he received a message on his phone Thursday claiming he had been "selected to pick cotton at the nearest location."

Molina was deeply shaken by the text, calling it both hurtful and frightening.

“It just hurts. It hurts me so bad that people can do that. That you can just text somebody and do that,” Molina said in an emotional interview. “The person who did this shouldn’t even be out on the streets.”

The racist text message is part of a nationwide wave of similar incidents that have left many shaken and fearful. Authorities are urging anyone who has received such messages to report them.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James is encouraging victims to come forward.