MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Pa. second lady Gisele Barreto Fetterman called the N-word by woman at grocery store: 'This hatred is taught'

Gisele, the wife of Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, filmed the unidentified woman and shared the video on her Twitter page.

The second lady of Pennsylvania, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, said she was called the N-word at a grocery store by an unidentified woman - an incident she filmed and shared on her Twitter page. Gisele, the wife of Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, immigrated to the USA from Brazil as a child. The co-founder of 412 Food Rescue - a non-profit organization - had gone grocery shopping on Sunday, October 11, without her security personnel when an unidentified woman shouted at her and said things like, “There’s that N-word that Fetterman married” and “you don’t belong here.”

After abusing her racially, the woman continued with her shopping, leaving Gisele frozen and shocked. She immediately paid for the groceries and went to her car. But reportedly the woman was not done as she again approached Gisele while she was sitting in her vehicle. But she took out her phone to record the woman who leaned toward her car, removed her mask and said: “You’re a n—.” The second verbal attack reportedly left Gisele in tears. She then called her security team and apologized for leaving by herself. “And then I called John after and I just cried for the rest of the night and allowed it to move through my system. But there is comfort in knowing this is not a majority feeling by any means,” she said as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gisele posted the video on Twitter with a message that read: “*TRIGGER WARNING* I love love love this country but we are so deeply divided. I ran to the local grocery store and was met by and verbally assaulted by this woman who repeatedly told me I do not belong here. The confrontation continued into the parking lot where I was able to finally capture it after the crying winded down. This behavior and this hatred is taught.  If you know her, if she is your neighbor or relative, please, please teach her love instead.”

The philanthropist suggested that such behavior is encouraged by top leaders of the country, who themselves never shy away from displaying their racist sides. “We see folks in high positions acting a certain way, then maybe that emboldens. I don’t know if there’s more of this now or it’s just more public now. The fact that people have such a blind hatred for what’s different is scary, and I’m raising three children in this world,” she said before adding: “I love this country. It hasn’t changed that at all. It makes me want to fight that much harder for my country.”

A lot of people on Twitter extended their support to Gisele with one writing, “Don’t take it personally Gisele. This c*** isn’t worth your time or your emotion. Some people are irredeemable. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help because she’d have to get through me to call you names. Fascists.” A second user said: “Trump's America. They feel safe saying it out loud. The concern I have Gisele is that, after we remove the cancerous dictator from power, these people will stall harbor this hate and will still feel emboldened.  It's sickening.”

“I wish someone that knew her would call her out. She was brave enough to attack when you were by yourself. Wonder if she's brave enough to own up to it. We know she's not. Disgusting. This is really bothering me. You do so much good and help so many. Makes me want to cry,” tweeted a third user. While the fourth one added, “This is the society that we have created by allowing a person like Donald trump in office.. I blame all politicians for this. We have taken steps back socially, economically and emotionally as a country..We have been successfully been divided causing us to fight against ourselves.”