A Milwaukee reporter was verbally attacked by a racist while covering a country music concert called Country Thunder, two weeks ago. She said bystanders laughed when it happened.
Taylor Lumpkin, who has worked at WTMJ since 2020 wrote about the incident on social media and said it left her feeling humiliated.
“Went to cover this event tonight for a news story,” she wrote. “Left humiliated after a guy ran up and yelled at me (unprovoked), and called me a N***** twice. No one helped. Everyone stared at me, and laughed. Do better people.”
Joe Poss, vice president and general manager for the Milwaukee NBC affiliate told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“We are appalled that one of our reporters was subjected to a racial slur while producing a news story. We stand against all forms of racism and have a core commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion,” Poss said. “What happened to Taylor Lumpkin at a music festival should not happen to anyone, anywhere. It is painful and heartbreaking when something awful like this occurs. Our focus right now is on supporting Taylor.”
The Journal-Sentinel said that wasn’t the only racist incident reported from the festival’s first day. The Kenosha News ran a photo on the front page showing fans flying a confederate flag at the festival’s campgrounds.
We asked Lumpkin about it and will update when we hear back.