Bullied to Backed

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/11/04/bullied-for-pink-shoes-cuomo-newday.cnn.html

I chose this story because it demonstrates that bullying is about misplaced power that stems from misunderstanding. Because these students sought to understand a person’s choices, because they were curious, they were able to move to understanding and acceptance. More importantly what followed was a change in behavior inspired through empathy.

A large portion of students at Wyndham Middle School in Massachusetts are developing empathy from a bullying situation by repairing it in a powerful way.

In the month of October millions adorn themselves in shades of pink to build awareness and support for breast cancer survivors and research.  In a story featured by The Eagle Tribune, a Windham 7^th grader named Ryan Marotta donned a pair of hot pink sneakers to honor his mother who is a survivor of breast cancer.  His loving act was met with criticism from fellow classmates razzing him about his pink shoes.

Ryan continued to wear the shoes despite bullying and negative feelings that were developing from his choice to wear them. Then there was a turning point. His classmates wanted to know why he was wearing pink.  Ryan’s inspiring shoe choice was the hot pink shoes the NFL players wear in October to show support of breast cancer awareness. Learning this, fellow classmates rocked pink clothing in an effort to show apology and respect for a boy, his mother and an important cause.

The story went viral and Ryan was invited to the Queen Latifah show where upon arriving he was greeted with a video message from the coach of his favorite NFL football team. Being a quarterback and avid football fan Ryan was ecstatic to hear from Pete Carroll, coach of the Seattle Seahawks and was showered with messages of praise and respect not to mention football memorabilia for being a brave role model.

 Ryan went from being bullied to backed by a school, a major NFL team and a community. Regarding the lesson well learned Ryan said,  “Don’t be afraid to support something you know is good.”

Adapted from the article at Eagle Tribune: Thinking Pink