Amari Allen who accused her white classmates of assaulting, bullying and cutting her dreadlocks has recanted her statement.
What We Know:
- Amari Allen has spent plenty of time in the public eye for a week after her story received national attention. The 12-year-old Virginia student alleged that three white boys attacked her during recess at Immanuel Christian School. “One of them put my hands behind my back. One of them put their hands over my mouth and one cut my hair,” Amari told CBS News.
- Amari also alleged that they have bullied her for weeks insisting that her lunch money was taken. She also stated she was called names like “nappy head” and “ugly” by her classmates. “They were saying I don’t deserve to live, I shouldn’t have been born.”
- Amari’s story has angered and touched people all over the world based on what allegedly happened to her on the playground. Seeing her eyes full of tears during her interviews was disheartening. Although bullying is a very serious issue, Amari has now recanted her statement against her classmates admitting that her story was a lie.
- Amari’s grandparents have met with school officials to apologize for her actions. The Washington Post reported that the family released the following statement:
“To those young boys and their parents, we sincerely apologize for the pain and anxiety these allegations have caused. To the administrators and families of Immanuel Christian School, we are sorry for the damage this incident has done to trust within the school family and the undue scorn it has brought to the school. To the broader community, who rallied in such passionate support for our daughter, we apologize for betraying your trust.”
“We understand there will be consequences, and we’re prepared to take responsibility for them. We know that it will take time to heal, and we hope and pray that the boys, their families, the school and the broader community will be able to forgive us in time.”
- Immanuel Christian School’s principal, Stephen Danish, also confirmed in a statement that the allegation against the boys was false. He acknowledged that they’re relieved to find out the students were innocent and that people got hurt on both sides of this story. “We recognize that we now enter what will be a long season of healing,” he said.
- The family has sought counseling for Amari as she still stands by her statement that she has been a victim of bullying despite fabricating the attack.
- A GofundMe campaign that was started for Amari Allen to fund “medical, illness and healing,” has now provided an update to refund all donors. The update states “upon request from Amari’s family, we will be refunding all the donations, and once that happens will be ending the campaign and closing this page. Thank you all so much for your support, and sorry for the hassle, All money should be returned to the individual donors in the next 3-7 business days. So sorry for the inconvenience to everyone!” The GoFundMe raised over $1,000 for Amari Allen.
Hopefully, this situation doesn’t deflect from other hate crimes and bullying. There are many victims out there who have truthful stories that shouldn’t go unnoticed.
