Pam Grier Voted U.G.L.Y. Bullying Bystander Role Model for 2014 Honor given during Nat’l Bullying Bystanders Unite Week-Oct. 12th - 18th By Jenn Junod

CHICAGO, IL – Award-winning actress, Pam Grier known as “Foxy” from the 1974 hit film Foxy Brown and her career comeback role as the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997’s Jackie Brown, has been named 2014 Bullying Bystander Role Model by international bullying prevention nonprofit, Hey U.G.L.Y.- Unique Gifted Lovable You. This is the first annual honor to be given each year during National Bullying Bystanders Unite Week, which is the third week of October.

Although Golden Globe Award-winner Grier has become quite successful over her lifetime, she did withstand many tragic events in her early years as told in her 2010 memoir Foxy: My Life in Three Acts.Hey U.G.L.Y. selected Grier because of an excerpt from the book where she talks about attending schools all over the world because her father was a mechanic in the United States Air Force. 

While attending school in England Grier came to the aid of a Norwegian girl named Heidi who was being viciously bullied. Grier was amazed to see white students bullying Heidi, who the kids at school mistook for being German. Younger children during that time in England were unaware that she was Norwegian, and they associated German heritage to being Nazi-affiliated.

Grier could understand white on black bullying because she had experienced it often when she was in American schools. That’s what gave her the empathy and power to help Heidi. For the first time, Grier saw that bullying went further than just skin color. She could not bear to see someone enduring that pain. Grier stuck up for Heidi and even fought for her at times. 

Heidi commented on how Grier was her only friend, since for the first time someone stuck up for her. In the book Grier goes on to mention that in England people weren’t raised to discriminate against black people like they were in America, so therefore she wasn’t bullied. She also saw that no matter where someone lives, bullying can happen anywhere. 

The U.G.L.Y. Bullying Bystander Role Model award was created due to a Michigan City Indiana boy who was brutally bullied while twenty students stood by and did nothing to help him. After working with the police department on this incident, Hey U.G.L.Y. learned that unless there are witnesses or video footage, not much can be done by the police or school administration.  Most students don’t intercede or report bullying because they are afraid the bully will come after them. Hey U.G.L.Y.’s Bullying Bystanders Unite campaign hopes to change that by helping youth see that reporting could help save a life. They also stress that reporting can be done anonymously as seen in the following tips they developed with the police department: 

TIPS TO SAFELY COME TO AID OF SOMEONE BEING BULLIED

PHYSICAL BULLYING SAFETY RULES

1. If you see ONE bully physically hurting someone and you are alone, go to a safe place and call 911 then find an adult and ask them to help out.
2. If you see ONE bully physically hurting someone and you are with at least FOUR friends, have one of them call 911. The rest of you HOLD UP YOUR CELL PHONES AND FILM THE BULLLYING EPISODE. Even if your phone doesn’t have a video camera, hold it up anyway.  The bully will think you are recording. Once he/she knows they are being filmed, most bullies will run away.
3. If you see TWO OR THREE bullies hurting someone and you are alone, follow rule #1.
4. If you see TWO OR THREE bullies hurting someone and you are with at least TEN friends, follow rule # 2.

VERBAL/EMOTIONAL BULLYING SAFETY RULES

1. If you are alone, walk over to the person being bullied and tell them you need their help to do something. Then take them away from the bully as calmly, but quickly as you can. Take them to a trusted adult and report what you saw.
2. If you are in a group, form a circle around the person being bullied and tell them you want to hang out with them. Then get them away from the bully. Take them to a trusted adult and report what you saw.

“Be careful not to enter into the struggle unless you can be assisted by others,” advises Police Chief, Mark Swistek. “Be the best witness you can be by observing or recording the occurrence and other necessary information. This rule also applies to adults. If you’re unsure of your abilities or cannot be assisted by others, we encourage witnesses to immediately call 911 and stand by to provide us with the information related to the incident. You can also report anonymously.” 

SCHOOL DANGER ALERT

If you hear someone talking about doing harm to anyone at your school or bringing a weapon to school immediately report it to your principal or school counselor. If you want to be anonymous let them know and also tell your parents. You could be saving lives!

The silent majority may not be doing the actual bullying, although being silent isn’t preventing it from happening again and preventing bullying in the future. 

About the author:  Jenn Junod is a freelance writer who lives in LaPorte, Indiana while going to school for Psychology at Purdue North Central. She has been published in Panther News Network as well as nonprofit organizations. Jenn is pursuing a career in podcasting to help young adults. 

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Hey U.G.L.Y., Inc. NFP

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