Two African Boys Beaten by at NYC School, Called “Ebola” by Bullies

On Friday afternoon, two African boys from Senegal were beaten up at school and called “Ebola.”

The two boys, 11 and in sixth grade, and 13 in eighth grade, were attacked at I.S. 318 in Tremont. The two boys have been in the U.S. for one month.

Ousame Drame, the father, described how his sons were brutally harassed for weeks. Once Ebola reached the U.S., bullies began to target his sons, telling other students to avoid them, and eventually physically attacking them.

“If they go to the gym they don’t want them touching the ball – ‘Oh, you have Ebola, don’t play with us,’” Drame said.

The boys were raised in Senegal, but they were born in the U.S.

The father doesn’t hold any ill will towards the students as he understands that they lack proper education on the Ebola virus.

“They don’t know nothing. They’re babies,” he said.

Instead, he’s placing the blame on the school for not protecting his sons and for their failure to properly educate students on the nature of the virus. He believes they should have made an effort to ensure that students knew that the two boys didn’t have Ebola and that they weren’t a risk.

“Where was the school administrators, where was the school staff when all of this was happening?” asked Charles Cooper of the African Advisory Council.

Still, Drame wants to ensure that his sons will be safe when they return to school.

“We will not tolerate intimidation or bullying of our students, especially in this moment when New Yorkers need to come together,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Farina in a statement.