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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was defiant Monday after her latest brush with racism while she campaigns for governor on the GOP line, after a fan at a James Madison football game yelled at her to “go back” to a Black-majority country she does not hail from.
The incident occurred Saturday during JMU’s 63-27 blowout win over Old Dominion in Harrisonburg. It’s the latest episode in which Earle-Sears has been targeted with racist invective; a protester recently confronted her with a sign suggesting she use a segregated water fountain.
“I thought Democrats were supposed to love everyone — and just to be clear, I’m Jamaican,” Earle-Sears said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“But I have nowhere to go back to because America is my home. Every day I thank God I get to call this country home.”
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“I’ve been called names no one should ever hear, and I’ve watched people hold racist signs meant to shame me – and because I have an ‘R’ next to my name, few care.”
Earle-Sears, the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia, added that she doesn’t view herself as a victim and that “words won’t break me or stop my campaign.”
At the game, the man, wearing a JMU Dukes tee shirt and ballcap yelled, “go back to Haiti” in the direction of Earle-Sears, as captured on candid video.
A woman next to the man appeared to turn to him and say something to him before he turned to her and said something back that appeared to be “he’s taking video,” as the loudspeakers blared “The Stroke” by Billy Squier.
The man recognized he was being filmed, smiled, and made a peace-sign and mouthed “peace!”
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Several moments passed before the man again directed his ire in the direction of the Republican nominee and yelled “traitor” over the booming beats of Squier’s 80s hit.
The video quickly went viral on social media, with many commenting that the man purportedly works for a subsidiary of defense contractor Lockheed Martin.
Fox News Digital reached out to the subsidiary, Zeta Associates, which directed inquiries to Lockheed Martin’s Maryland headquarters.
A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said they were already “urgently looking into” the situation.
“Lockheed Martin holds all employees to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct,” the spokesperson said.
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“Any behavior that violates our Code of Ethics will be thoroughly investigated and employees found in violation will be held accountable.”
The aircraft-manufacturing behemoth later followed up that response with an addendum later Monday:
“Zeta Associates investigated the matter and the individual is no longer employed.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, James Madison University Athletics said it has “high expectations of fan behavior as outlined in our fan code of conduct – which fans agree to when they attend a JMU athletics event.”
“This includes an expectation that all fans act with respect for one another and display civility. The actions observed in this video do not reflect this standard, nor our university’s values; we condemn and do not tolerate this type of behavior,” the statement said.
“This person has been suspended from attending athletics events at JMU,” the athletics department added.
“There has been a rise of incivility across the country and James Madison University aspires to be a model of good sportsmanship and civil discourse.”
The Republican Party of Virginia confirmed the video’s authenticity. The party associate who filmed it told Fox News Digital he was on the field near Earle-Sears when he heard the slur, turned around, and began recording.
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Fox News Digital called a phone number reportedly linked to the man’s identity, but it went straight to voicemail. Attempts to reach him by email, as well as through phone numbers associated with his relatives and neighbors, were also unsuccessful.
The alleged subject’s LinkedIn account appeared to be deleted shortly after it was screenshotted on social media, with some internet critics alerting Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s account to their outrage – ostensibly given Lockheed’s commercial relationship with the Pentagon.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment but did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, the same day, several hundred miles northwest, a man was captured on video addressing a “No Kings” protest in Illinois; calling for federal immigration agents to be shot.
“You gotta grab a gun, we gotta turn around the guns on this fascist system,” the “No Kings” protester said in a video originally posted by GrayStak Media CEO Christopher Sweat.
“These ICE agents gotta get shot and wiped out. The same machinery that’s on full display right there has to get wiped out.”
The video quickly went viral on social media, with many commenting that the man works for the City Colleges of Chicago system.
Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
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