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Kids Beat Bullies Using Pink and I Get Sniffly, In a Good Way

Posted by Kelly Mills

my favorite people wear pinkHere's why I'm now wearing rose-colored glasses. So much of what we get to talk about is "Obesity kills!" and "Lead painted death toys!" and "Your boobs will suffer!" so I don't expect anything to be all heartwarming and restore my faith in humanity and all that. But then I read this story. It starts off harsh: a new ninth grader showed up for school wearing a pink shirt and he was surrounded by a group of six to ten older students who "mocked him, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up." Yup, total high school a-holes just like the kind I went to school with. But two twelfth grade students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, decided it was time to take a stand and intervene.

You know what they did? They used good ol' technology (the internet, natch) and told students to wear pink the next day. They bought 75 pink tank tops and brought material to make pink arm and wrist bands. They figure they got about half of the school's 800+ students to wear pink. A sea of pink and solidarity.

The bullies got pissed and one confronted David and asked him if he knew pink was a symbol of homosexuality. David said he didn't care. "Our intention was to stand up for this kid so he doesn’t get picked on."

Oh, and this is where I tear up: "When the bullied student put on his pink shirt Friday and saw all the other pink in the lobby, 'he was all smiles. It was like a big weight had been lifted off is shoulder,' David said." I love these kids and I love this story. And as anyone who has been to high school knows, that's an act of heroism that may have changed at least one person's life. I hope their parents are proud. I know I would be.

Can I get an "Amen"! 


Comments

 

Grammy said:

AMEN!!!  Awesome story.  Thanks for sharing it.  I am going to pass this on to the teaching community.

September 17, 2007 3:17 PM
 

Dawn said:

Amen and kick ass :)

September 17, 2007 3:57 PM
 

Ettamommy said:

Amen!Thank you for sharing!!!

September 17, 2007 4:27 PM
 

AmyinMotown said:

Awwww. Stuff like that warms my cold little heart.

September 17, 2007 4:34 PM
 

LogicalMama said:

Amen! That is awesome

September 17, 2007 5:29 PM
 

Mombian » Blog Archive » Solidarity in Pink said:

Pingback from  Mombian  » Blog Archive   » Solidarity in Pink

September 17, 2007 5:39 PM
 

Nic said:

I think a good old slow clap is in order.  

September 17, 2007 9:10 PM
 

Karen Murphy said:

You're not the only one with the sniffles here.  This stuff ought to catch on.

September 17, 2007 9:41 PM
 

julielynn said:

I can only someday hope that my kid can someday be like those kids.  They should be proud of themselves.

September 18, 2007 10:12 AM

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