Cow named after racial slur sparks outrage

The Wisconsin State Fair is regarded as a wholesome tradition dating back to 1851, which is why what David Blake of Pewaukee saw here Thursday stunned him.

“We're walking through the dairy barn, enjoying ourselves, and came across the nameplate and was kind of taken aback,” Blake said.

He snapped a photo, showing the cow had a racially offensive term for a name.

“It's one of those words, one of those few words that should be totally off limits. I mean, there's a big one that we all know, and I think it's on the same level,” he said.

The cow's name has been changed in the online listings of awards, from the offensive name to Puzzle, in an acknowledgment of the controversy sparked by the racially original name.

“Disgusting, and definitely not something people should be using,” Blake said. “And shame on the State Fair. I'd assume there'd be policies in place where they kind of look at the names and everything, why this was allowed to get through.”

Wisconsin State Fair spokesperson Tess Kerksen said the exhibitor is no longer at the fair.

“We do not tolerate or condone this behavior. We are sorry this happened and was not brought to our attention sooner," the statement read.

“I feel like that shouldn't have gotten past State Fair to allow that,” community activist Vaun Mayes said Friday.

He called attention to it in a Facebook post Thursday. He said he finds it hard to believe the name could be an innocent mistake.

“It's a total conversation for this state about where we are and the state of relations in this country. Do we want this stuff to get better, or are we going to continue to be divided?” Mayes asked.

The cow was exhibited by the Hildebrandt family from Hustisford. Friday evening, they released a statement reading, “We want to extend our sincere apologies to the Black community, the Wisconsin State Fair and fellow dairy farmers about the racially insensitive term we used to name one of our cows. We now recognize that use of this word is unacceptable and harmful. Immediately upon learning the meaning of this term, we changed the cow’s name. We are committed to educating ourselves further.”

Kerksen later Friday said the names of animals exhibited are not currently reviewed.

“We plan to review the entry process and discuss ways to prevent this type of situation in the future," she said.