This time of year, we are inundated with lists in memoriam of people who passed away – entertainers, athletes, elected officials, scientists, activists, and more. But, this year, there is another group of individuals we must remember and make sure their deaths were not in vain.
Suicide caused by bullying has become known as bullycide, and headlines across the U.S. in 2017 were filled with heartbreaking accounts by parents, family, friends, and educators of teens and tweens who took their own lives after being tormented by bullying or cyberbullying.
May their memories inspire us to:
- provide resources for educational institutions to foster empathy and respect,
- learn how to be better upstanders,
- establish effective bullying and cyberbullying prevention laws, and
- focus on leading by example.
In memoriam
Deshaun Adderley, 14
German Aramburo-Guzman, 14
Rosalie Avila, 13
Nick Borck, 16
Raistlin Brown, 14
Angelo Collazo, 17
Kyleigh Crawford, 16
Logan Davidson, 14
Ashawnty Davis, 10
Quentin Espinoza, 14
Riley Garrigus, 16
Mallory Grossman, 12
Jesse Dylan James, 14
Isabella Martinez, 13
Hugo Morales, 13
Julio Ortiz, 11
Toni Rivers, 11
Aliyah Rodriguez, 20
Gabriel Taye, 8
Connor Tronerud, 15
Rylie Wagner, 13
Nina E. Zendarski, 14
Each one of their deaths is a tragic loss to their families, friends, and communities. Their lives ended too soon. They will not be forgotten.