National Bullying Prevention Month

By Karen Okigbo and Kipp Harris

We have all heard the old and familiar adage that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Unfortunately, as evident from the increased media attention on bullying and the resulting suicides, it is clear that broken bones eventually heal, but what remains and lingers are the scars of those hateful words.

Words are inherently powerful - this point is proven time and time again by the heartbreaking stories like that of Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University who committed suicide after his private life was broadcast online; or Seth Walsh, a 13-year-old who hanged himself and died 10 days later after being bullied in school; or Kevin Morrissey, a 52-year-old editor at Virginia Quarterly Review, who shot himself over alleged workplace bullying.

This increase in media focus has shown us that bullying is not something that happens in other regions or cities; it can and is happening in our communities, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. So, what can be done to stop this? It is easy to see that none of these victims did anything to deserve the harassment and torment they faced; what is often harder to understand is why people would intentionally hurt their neighbors, colleagues, and classmates.

While it is nearly impossible to change the mindset of each of those individuals, one way to prevent further tragedies from occurring is by taking personal responsibility for our actions and speaking up when we notice something. And though legislation is not the solution, it can be a helpful deterrent by educating and making citizens aware of the issue.

Currently, North Dakota is one of only five states in the country lacking such a law.  With October being National Bullying Prevention Month, this is the perfect opportunity to ensure that there are no more tragedies that are a result of bullying.

I hope you join us in understanding that “the end of bullying begins with me!”

[Editor’s Note: The writers are North Dakota Human Rights Coalition Board Members.]