Nobody should be subjected to racism or prejudices, especially not children. Unfortunately for Za’Khari Waddy, he has already been tormented with not only blatant racism, but death threats, and he is only 13-years-old.
Za’Khari is in the eighth grade at Tabb Middle School in Yorktown, Virginia, where he is a scholar-athlete, he stays on the honor roll and is a leader on his football team. Despite all of his accomplishments in his few years on Earth, there is still ignorance trying to bring him down.
On Oct. 27, young Za’Khari was riding on a school bus back to Tabb Middle School after an away game. Za’Khari said that’s when a white student menaced him with dreadfully racist comments.
The young boy’s mother, Zettrona Powell, urged him to write his atrocious experience and feelings down in a letter.
To Whom It May Concern:
Yesterday on the football bus coming from our football game a kid … started saying racist things to me. He then started saying he does not like blacks and he told me 200 years ago my ancestors hung from a tree and after he said that I should I hang from a tree. That made me super mad, so in the locker room I told him not to call me n—-r or that I should be hung on a tree. The coaches took me away from the kid because I was really mad and they think I was going to fight him but I want someone to do something about it because I’m tired of boys messing with me because of my skin. I’m at my boiling point with this. Please do something about this because when I bring it to the office/principle you do nothing about it and I’m tired of the racism.
“This has crushed my son’s spirit,” Powell said. “When my son got off the bus he threw his backpack, the coaches came in and told him ‘don’t let it get to him.’ How can he not allow this to bother him mentally? This has mentally damaged my son.”
Powell sent the letter to the school for disciplinary action against the boy who uttered those appalling words.
From the NYDN:
On multiple occasions in the two weeks since this incident, Za’Khari’s mother says she met with the principal and has written and called both the school and the school board, only to be told they’ll look into it. In the meantime, day in and day out, Za’Khari is forced to return to school to share the same space with classmates that have repeatedly harassed him.
The only response from the school administration that has been made was an email that said, “Please know that the matter is being investigated.”
Sadly, this isn’t Za’Khari’s first encounter with racism. “Ever since we’ve moved to this area my son has been faced with racism,” Powell said. “He’s been asked if he was going to rape or rob a young lady, he’s been pushed into lockers and called a n—-r on numerous occasions.”
A 13-year-old should never have to face racism, let alone death threats from bullies. Za’Khari, know that you will become a better man than those who try to bring you down.
[NYDN]