Melody and Kamora Dabney were targeted with racial slurs and ridiculed at high school (Photo courtesy of Facebook).

By David L. Snelling
South Florida Times

Two Black sisters who were the target of racial bullying and harassment by their white counterparts at a Massachusetts high school reached a settlement with the school district over the ghastly experience.

Trusha Vilvar, the mother of Melody and Kamora Dabney, filed a civil rights complaint in 2023, claiming the sisters were repeatedly tormented with racial slurs and mockery at Millbury Memorial High School.

According to the complaint, white students also were allowed to carry a pass with the N-word inscribed on it.

The alleged racial bullying and torment drove the sisters away from the school district and into a safer environment, according to social media.

Their mother filed the civil complaint over the incessant racial bullying which touched off a firestorm of Black parents’ protests over the series of attacks on their race, culture and being derided over their hairstyle and body features.

White students used racial epithets at the sisters and derided them for their skin color, hair texture and facial features, according to the complaint.

Fellow students repeatedly used the N-word and referred to the Dabney sisters as ‘monkey.’

“The unbearable racial bullying my children have suffered, coupled with the lack of accountability by the Millbury School District, must be addressed. Those responsible should be held accountable, and policies must change to ensure the safety of not only my children, but all students in the district,” said Vilvar.

According to the Boston Globe, the settlement includes an undisclosed payment and the Millbury Public School agreed to amend its Civil Rights Grievance policy to prevent future racial bullying and stereotype attacks.

However, the district didn’t not admit guilt or that white students broke the law with their racial slurs.

The civil rights complaint didn’t mention if the sisters were physically attacked.

Lawyers For Civil Rights (LCR) who filed the complaint on behalf of Vilvar found the alleged racial slurs and bullying disturbing and filed the complaint with the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

They said it was one of the worst racial discrimination cases among teenages in Massachuettes history.

The school enrolls a small fraction of Black students and the complaint claimed that teachers and administrators were aware of the attacks but did nothing to stop them or file a report with the school district.

“When students report discrimination, schools are not permitted to shirk their legal responsibility. They are not above the law,” said Mirian Albert, senior attorney at LCR. “Here, Millbury Memorial repeatedly failed Melody and Kamora by unjustly disciplining them instead of addressing the racial harassment they faced,” she added.

In the complaint, Kamora said she studying in the school library in 2023, when a white student showed her a note with the N-word written on it and said an ‘N-word pass’ was a common joke within the school.

In response, Kamora said she ripped the paper up and threw it at the classmate but she was written up by the librarian.

The infraction didn’t include the racial aspects of the incident and was ultimately used in relation to her suspension 20 days later.

The two sisters claimed the white students retaliated when they told several teachers about the incidents and the attacks escalated.

The girls’ attorney said the school chose to weaponize discipline against Melody and Kamora instead of nixing the abuse.

The complaint alleged that, in retaliation, the school issued the girls ‘lengthy suspensions to keep the sisters out of school and involving law enforcement to criminalize them – all while protecting the white students who threatened the sisters with violence and targeted them for racist attacks.’

A separate federal lawsuit against Nauset Regional School District was filed by a Black student and his father after the student attempted suicide following racial harassment at school.

That case underscores the stakes attorneys say are tied to how school districts respond when students report being targeted.
Blacks students in the U.S. have become the target of racial bullying by white students over the past several years.

According to Worldmetrics, 28 percent of Black students in grades 6 through 12, have reported being bullied by white students due to their race and hairstyles.

Racial bullying has an impact on students’ academic performances, causing lower grades and graduate rate, and college readiness.

In addition, racial bullying also could lead to mental health issues including anxiety rates of 83 percent, depression and low self esteem that Black students experience more than any other race.

Latino and Asian students also are the targets of racial bullying, according to Worldmetrics.

Miami-Dade County and Broward County school districts implemented anti-bullying policies to safeguard students from racial, discrimination, gender and disabilities attacks.

Victims are encouraged to file a complaint with the schools which would take disciplinary actions to prevent further abuse including suspensions.