What is Really Going On?: Another 11 Year-Old Suicide

It's sad that I'm just discovering this. Jaheem Herrara, 11 years old, took his own life last week after enduring bullying and harrassment from his fellow classmates. Herrara was a fifth grader at Dunaire Elementary School located in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

His 10 year old sister found him hanging from a fabric belt in his bathroom.

He and his parents would often tell the administrators and teachers about the slurs that he battled with daily at school. Obviously, nothing was done about it. If something was done, he would still be here.

I think that it's a shame that it seems like this is becoming a trend all of a sudden. This is the third suicide of this kind to happen this year. 2 of them happened this month. Every time something like this happens, is it on the news? Some of the networks do, but not all of them.

Most people that hear about cases like these would most likely blame the kids in this young boys' school. But why should they be the ones to blame? At this age (elementary school kids), they don't really know better. They take what they've learned from their parents, their society, and the media and run with it. Most parents are religious and they believe in the Bible. Apparently, the Bible has taught them that being gay is against God's rule and that if you are, you'll be punished. Not only that... they will go to HELL! But how could this be possible if God already knows our destiny before it begins? He wouldn't have created us as mankind if he thought that something people couldn't help that comes so naturally would be so bad. Could anyone against the lifestlye even tell me how it's destroying anyone?

Another thing that annoys me about the parents is that they aren't teaching their kids the rights and wrongs of things that they say and do. They're not telling their children that there's a possibility that whatever they say do or do could 'cause something bad to happen. When kids feel neglected or feel like they don't belong, they have a tendency to think that they don't belong here. That's exactly that this boy felt before he hung himself. I'm sure his parents reminded him over and over that they would always be there for him to talk to. And they should fault themselves at all because they aren't the ones blame.

The media plays a big role in it as well. Driving their beliefs into TV shows, music, movies, etc. They bash gay people so badly that it makes some people feel unappreciated, unworthy, and indifferent. It's as if the word "gay" means alien, like homosexuals weren't meant to exist. Kids are learning their language that they use against their peers from the media as well, in my opinion.

The administrators and the teachers aren't doing much at the schools to prevent this from happening. If a child or their parent is repetitively saying something about being teased to them, they why aren't they trying to come up with some kind of punishment? Why aren't they teaching the kids that bullying is unhealthy to another kids' one heart, mind, and soul? Why aren't they developing a program to prevent bullying?

These are just a few of my thoughts at the moment. I will definitely be back at this later. EQUALITY FOR ALL!!!