When I heard about what happened to Javits Frimpong, it really broke my heart. I too am a Ghanaian immigrant. I came over to the UK from Ghana with my mother when I was a toddler. Many Ghanaians, and people from developing countries, wish to migrate to Europe and North America for a better life. Developed countries have structures and systems that work; you can earn more money and make something of yourself. In many developing countries, if you are not born into wealth or well connected, life can be extremely difficult. For many of us immigrants, there is a strong desire to work hard and make the most of the opportunities in the countries we live in, because we know that many of our family members back home will never have those same opportunities.
Javits had moved from Ghana to New York about a year before his death to live with his father. His parents would have had to struggle to bring him over, because migrating is a difficult and very expensive process. I'm sure Javits was very excited once his application was approved and he migrated to the USA; that is the dream of many Ghanaians. His father describes him as a quiet teenager who hoped to become a doctor. He showed up to class every day, was very smart and did not cause any trouble. This reminds me of myself. In school, I was intelligent, quiet and didn't bother anyone. Unfortunately, that does not protect you from bullies. It's quite the opposite: it makes you a target.
I believe Javits was bullied for being African and smart. Just being yourself can trigger something in others, and they react negatively to you even though you haven't done anything to them. I've experienced this first-hand on multiple occasions. Maybe Javits being smart made the bullies feel insecure because they may not be as smart as him. Maybe him being African reminded them of their internalised self-hatred. Maybe they were jealous of his sweet spirit and ambition; who knows? I have seen many comments online from African and Caribbean immigrants to the USA sharing their experiences of being bullied in school after they moved. People made fun of their accents and the way they looked, and in some instances it turned into violence. The hatred towards Africans from some other Black people makes no sense to me. Why harm someone because they are different? What is so bad about being African? Human life literally started in Africa.
His father suspects the boys who killed Javits are the same ones who bullied him. Javits did everything he was supposed to do. He told his teacher about the bullying, and the boys were rightly suspended. Then, on his way to school, he was chased down and shot. There was nothing more he could have done. What would possess teenage boys to kill a child who never started anything with them? How did they get hold of a gun in a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the country? And what kind of upbringing leads a boy there?
These questions point to something we need to be honest about: there are sections of the Black community in the Western world that normalise and promote negative behaviours such as violence, criminality, broken homes, disregard for education and a lack of accountability. If I'm being brutally honest, I doubt these boys had strong father figures in their lives, or they may have had men around them who were involved in gangs or crime. They had to learn their negative behaviour from somewhere. Some of these parents need to do better when raising their children!
Many celebrities have spoken out about what happened, and I'm glad this is getting recognition. Bullying is a serious issue that needs to be resolved. Bullying should NEVER lead to death, especially of a child. All Javits wanted was an education; back in Ghana, you have to pay for education. I am sick of these bottom-of-the-barrel people with no home training who cause unprovoked harm to innocent people. I understand why people move to nicer areas when they get money and do not want to be around certain types of people, because growing up around degenerates can literally cost you your life! It's not even about being elitist; it is about safety.
Javits came to America looking for a better life. Now his mother has to fly to America to see her deceased son's body. No mother should have to go through that. I pray he gets justice; he did not deserve to die. May he rest in peace.
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