October 29, 2014
Current Events
Pape, a 13-year-old 8th grader and his 11-year-old 6th grade brother, Amadou, who immigrated from Senegal to the U.S only a month ago, were beaten and badly injured by several students who called them “Ebola” at a Bronx school. According to their father, Ousame Drame, his sons were cruelly harassed for weeks over Ebola. Only days after news broke that the deadly disease was in the United States, students began whispering the word, “Ebola” and told other students not to talk to the boys. They were treated like cancers, he said.
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| I.S. 318 School, Bronx, NY |
“If they go to the gym they don’t want them touching the ball – ‘Oh, you have Ebola, don’t play with us,'” Drame said.
Then, late last week, the boys were pummeled by other students in the schoolyard during lunch after enduring weeks of taunts.
The children were raised in Senegal but were born in America and have every right to be here, their father said. Although the boys do not have Ebola, the ignorant logic of the other students somehow made them believe that beating the boys would be a good thing. However, Drame didn’t blame the students.
“They don’t know nothing. They’re babies,” he said.
A group that advocates for Africans in the Bronx is calling for immediate action following the attack. “Where was the school administrators, where was the school staff when all of this was happening?” asked Charles Cooper of the African Advisory Council as he demanded more action. The council has called the attack “unacceptable” and just the latest incidence of disrespect and bullying of Africans since the outbreak of Ebola in West Africa.
The Department of Education says it is aware of the attack and in response, has dispatched additional security to the boys’ school. The agency said it would instruct teachers and principals to be on high alert for any potential instances of bullying or discrimination. It also said it would send information to parents to help them better understand the issue of Ebola and dispel any misconceptions their children might have.
“We will not tolerate intimidation or bullying of our students, especially in this moment when New Yorkers need to come together,” Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina said in a statement.
Although Drame said his sons will return to school, he wants confirmation they’ll be safe — both physically and emotionally.
