A tragic story has emerged from Linden, Alabama where racially-charged bullying led to McKenzie Adams, a nine-year-old girl, committing suicide. Adams was found hanging in her home by her grandmother after being bullied about having a white friend, according to the Tuscaloosa News.
Adams was friends with a white boy and would take rides to school his family.
McKenzie attended U.S. Jones Elementary School in Demopolis after transferring from her elementary school in Linden because of bullying, according to her family.
The details of the racially-charged bullying are sickening and saddening.
“She was being bullied the entire school year, with words such as ‘kill yourself,’ ‘you think you’re white because you ride with that white boy,’ ‘you ugly,’ ‘black b-tch,’ ‘just die’,” McKenzie’s aunt told the Tuscaloosa News.
“We are working fully with the Demopolis and Linden police department. They are doing a joint investigation of these allegations,” said school attorney, Alex Braswell in a statement, according to CBS 42. “Certainly our hearts goes out to the family and friends of Mckenzie and her fellow students as well as her teachers. Demopolis school system has provided grief councilors and crisis councilors at the school since this and ministers and youth ministers have been at the campus since the date of this incident And we certainly want to extend those services to any students and teachers on our campus as they go through this healing process.”
McKenzie’s funeral will be held next Saturday at her elementary school in Demopolis.
Our deepest condolences go out to McKenzie’s family and those who were impacted by her death during this incredibly tragic time.