9-year-old kills self after racist taunts from class
A black 9-year-old girl in Alabama allegedly took her own life after facing relentless bullying and racism in class, according to reports.
McKenzie Adams’ relatives said she hanged herself Dec. 3 in her home in Linden, about 100 miles west of Montgomery, and was discovered by her grandmother, according to the Tuscaloosa News.
Since the start of the school year, the fourth-grader had been the target of bullying at US Jones Elementary School, where she was teased over her friendship with a white male classmate, according to her family.
Her aunt, Eddwina Harris, said the group of students taunted McKenzie by telling her to commit suicide.
“She was being bullied the entire school year, with words such as ‘kill yourself,’ ‘you think you’re white because you ride with that white boy,’ ‘you ugly,’ ‘black bitch,’ ‘just die,’” Harris told the newspaper.
Harris said she’s speaking out about her niece’s death because she wants to promote anti-bullying.
“There are so many voiceless kids,” Harris said. “God is opening great doors for justice for my niece.”