Activist Says African & Caribbean Students Often Target of Bullying & Violence in Philadelphia Schools

There is a disturbing trend taking root in Philadelphia, Pa. It seems that the growing population of African and Caribbean immigrant students there are often the target of racial teasing and violence, according to Philly.com.Carol Bangura, a community activist testified before the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations about the taunts and violence these students continue to face on a daily basis.

As an immigrant from Sierra Leone 30 years ago, Carol Bangura was teased and targeted, labeled a behavior problem, and kicked out of several schools. "A lot of what the kids are experiencing now, I experienced years ago," Bangura said in testimony before the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. "It's time to stop."

Bangura said that while the Philadelphia School District had been cooperative and met with her on several occasions, violence against African and Caribbean students was still a problem. Students are picked on because of their accents, clothes, or even the way they smell, and little is done about it, according to Bangura. Bullying, Bangura said, occurs every day, even in elementary school. Source: Philly.com

My parents and I migrated to the U.S. from Jamaica eons ago and I can't say I was bullied or treated horribly. What I will say is that the quality of education I got in Jamaica during the late 1970s and early 1980s was second to the British education system. When I started college, I had already mastered the foundation course materials in the 11th grade. It is shocking and disheartening to see that children from other countries face the added burden of trying to escape being bullied or subjected to violence.