As the
issue of bullying snowballs throughout the country, the YWCA along with Saving
Our Daughters and actress-singer Keke Palmer has come together to encourage a
solution.
Palmer
has a long track record as an affiliate to community awareness and community
outreach associations spanning the globe and was especially impacted by the
story of a 12-year old friend and fan, Iliss Marie Benjamin.
Benjamin
battled brain cancer at an early age and ultimately lost the fight.
Bullying
shows no mercy, as she also had to endure cruel name-calling among her
classmates.
“I was a
victim of a bully when I was 8 years old, some kids in my class made fun of me
because my hair was very curly and hard to manage,” said Palmer. “I am 18 years
old and still, I remember it was painful, to be different, to have an illness
like Little Iliss, to be different from the crowd for any reason can make you a
target of a bully.”
The YWCA
has long advocated for empowerment, eliminating racism, eliminating violence
and promoting dignity for women and girls. Saving Our Daughters organization
creates the tools to get teen girls discussing key issues and to take the power
away from bullying. An ideal match formulated by the YWCA, Saving Our Daughters
and Keke Palmer, all offering different means of social interaction to create a
solution to this increasingly drastic issue.
“We are
so excited about having such an extraordinary singer & actress as Keke
Palmer, to address these issues of bullying & abuse worldwide with the YWCA
USA and with both our missions,” said Curtis Benjamin, chief executive officer
of Saving Our Daughters.
Copyright
2011 Chicago Defender
