A nine-year-old girl in Alabama took her own life after experiencing racist bullying in her elementary school. McKenzie Nicole Adams, a fourth-grader at Jones Elementary School, was found dead in her home on December 3 by her grandmother. The child, a maths lover, had dreams of one day becoming a scientist. The girl’s aunt, Eddwina Harris, said that her niece was targeted because she developed a relationship with a white boy at school.“She was 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 b****,’ and ‘just die,’” Ms Harris said.
Ms Adams was transferred to Jones Elementary after her mother and grandmother informed the State Board of Education about bullying experiences the nine-year-old girl faced at her previous school. Jasmine Adams, the mother of the deceased girl, posted a Facebook photo of herself posing with her daughter. “My world is gone ... my first love #stopbullying #antibullying,” the mother mourned on Facebook. Alex Braswell, the attorney representing the Demopolis City School System, said that it was “cooperating with the Demopolis and Linden Police Departments in their joint investigation of this incident”, and is committed to making the school district a safe place for all children. “In response to the recent tragedy of the [loss] of a Demopolis City School System student, The Demopolis City School System does extend its heartfelt wishes and condolences to the family, friends, students and teachers that have been affected by this tragedy,” the statement read. Ms Harris said she hopes to use her platform as a television show host in Atlanta to combat bullying in honour of her niece. “God has blessed me to help others with my platform, and now it’s time to help. There are so many voiceless kids,” she said. “God is opening great doors for justice for my niece.”