On Thursday, 29 October, 15-year-old Javits Frimpong was shot and killed in the Bronx while walking to school, barely a year after he left Ghana to live with his father.
His father, Thomas Frimpong (opens in a new tab), says the school’s principal told him three days earlier that two students had been bullying his son and had been suspended.
Police have not linked the bullying to the shooting, and no arrests have been made, but the story has opened up a conversation that many immigrant families have been carrying quietly for years.
Under Bozoma Saint John’s post (opens in a new tab)about Javits and a tribute shared by Eaton Network, thousands of Africans and Caribbeans have shared
Names have been changed to protect identities.
1. Kojo
“It may be cool to be African now, but I remember how difficult things were for some of us who came from Africa back in 2005–2007. The bullying was relentless. We were jumped, laughed at, and made to feel less than simply because we were African. I remember those days like they were yesterday. I remember being so scared to go to school, never knowing if I would be bullied or attacked. No child should ever have to experience that kind of fear just for being who they are.”
2. Amara
“Yea, it was bad. Very, very bad. I remember it like it was yesterday. And the sad part is, if you met some of those kids’ parents, they were nice people. Some were loving and good people, but their kids just chose to be bad. I knew a few who were acting completely out of character, and I’d be like, ‘You know you’re not really like that. I know your grandma!’”
3. Tunde
“I know the feeling. I had to change schools because I got jumped so bad. That’s why I judge people based on how they treat me, not because we share the same skin tone.”
4. Femi
“I came in 2002 and it was worse. Like, thank God I’m alive, but those were the mean boys and girls who shout now that it’s cool to be African.”
5. Danielle
“I can relate. I had a best friend in elementary school from Africa and our classmates treated her horribly. Calling her dirty and smelly, wouldn’t interact with her.”
6. Abena
“I have gone over this so many times in my head, and as an immigrant with a thick accent in my earlier years, I can assure you middle and high school years were not easy. Given my own experience, I’ve always maintained that migrating through the college years would’ve been best… My condolences to the Frimpong family.”
7. Shanice
“I was an immigrant child from the Caribbean and I met two other immigrant students from the Caribbean in the class I was assigned to. What connected us was not only the fact that we were from the Caribbean, but because we got bullied and mocked for the way we spoke… I remember having a fight with a boy because he thought he could push me around. I fought back. I eventually moved back to the Caribbean, but I don’t know how I would manage moving my children to America at this time.”
8. Keisha
“They made fun of my accent. I couldn’t understand why they made fun of me when they looked like me. It truly hurt. They tried to fight me, call me names. I was so sad wondering why my parents left the Caribbean, but I learned later on it was for better opportunities for us all.”
9. Grace
“As an immigrant I share the pain. People can be brutal… A friend of mine said someone asked her where they sleep in the country she’s from, and she told the person everyone climbs up a tree every night to sleep. The mere ignorance of the person who asked the question.”
10. Maria
“My family moved to the U.S. in the 80s, we were bullied for the first couple of years. I live in my country of origin now and we receive all foreigners with open arms. The way he was running for his life says so much.”
If you have any information about the murder of Javits Frimpong, call NYPD Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
Were you bullied after moving abroad? Tell us your story in the comments.
