Silent Crisis: When Bullying Targets Black Students

By Quintessa Williams Word in Black

For more than a year, 14-year-old Kelaia Turner endured bullying from schoolmates and even her teacher at Turner Middle School in Greenville, South Carolina. They teased her about her looks, calling the girl a “roach” and “a man.” They soaked her clothes and dumped them in the garbage. 

Her mother, Ty Turner, repeatedly complained to the school, according to a new lawsuit, but the taunts and harassment continued. Kelaia ultimately decided she could no longer take the abuse. On March 17, 2023, Turner found Kelaia in her room, dangling from a belt wrapped around her neck. The child had tried to kill herself.

“She was gone for eight whole minutes,” Turner told NBC affiliate WYFF-TV. “Paramedics couldn’t find a pulse, and they couldn’t find her heartbeat. There were grown men in the room crying.”

Kelaia survived but suffered severe brain damage and spent months in the hospital, including 31 days in a coma in intensive care, according to the GoFundMe fundraiser created by her mother. Even in the hospital, though, the bullying continued: a classmate visited Kelaia in the ICU and took photos of her, which ended up on social media. 

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Kelaia’s heartbreaking story, detailed in a lawsuit against the Greenville County school system, reflects a national crisis: studies show 4 in 10 Black K-12 students face bullying in school, much of it is based on their race, and most school districts lack the resources to help or protect them.   

Word in Black discusses this crisis.

Find resources for dealing with bullying on the bus.

More news about Black families.