Ghanaian-American comedian and actor Michael Blackson has opened up about his own experience of being bullied as a young immigrant after the killing of Javits Frimpong, the 15-year-old Ghanaian student shot dead on his way to school in the Bronx this week.
In an Instagram post highlighted by The Shade Room, Blackson wrote that Javits “reminded me of myself” when he first arrived in the United States from Africa at about the same age. He also revealed plans to visit high schools to help foreign-born students deal with bullying.
“I Was About the Same Age”
In the post, the Accra-born comedian recalled being bullied a great deal in Newark, New Jersey, as a newly arrived African teenager. The bullying went on until his mother decided to move the family to Philadelphia.
He shared a memory from his time at Broadway Junior High in North Newark, describing an encounter with a boy from a local housing project. The story echoed the experiences of many African immigrant children who are mocked for their accents, names, clothing or culture when they start school in America.
The Shade Room reported that Blackson now plans to visit high schools to speak with students, particularly those who have recently arrived from other countries, about navigating bullying and finding support.
Why Javits’s Story Hit Home
Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong had moved to New York from Ghana about a year before he was shot near East 171st Street and Crotona Place in the Bronx on the morning of Thursday, October 29. His father, Thomas Frimpong, has said he believes his son had been bullied. Police have not linked the shooting to bullying, and no arrests had been announced as of Saturday. Officers are searching for three teenage suspects.
The killing has drawn reactions from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Congressman Adriano Espaillat and Attorney General Letitia James. In Ghana, President John Dramani Mahama directed officials to support the grieving family.
For many in the Ghanaian and wider African diaspora, Javits’s story has struck a painful chord, and Blackson’s post has been widely shared by people recalling similar experiences.
Who Is Michael Blackson?
Born in Accra in 1972, Michael Blackson is one of the best-known African comedians in the United States. He is famous for his stand-up specials and film roles, including Next Friday, and for proudly promoting Ghanaian culture. Away from comedy, he has invested in education back home, building a free school in Agona Nsaba in Ghana’s Central Region that was commissioned in January 2023.
Bullying and Immigrant Children
Research has long shown that immigrant and foreign-born students can be more vulnerable to bullying, often because of language barriers, differences in culture and appearance, and a lack of support networks. Advocates say schools need staff trained to spot the signs early, buddy and mentoring programmes for new arrivals, and clear ways for students and parents to report abuse.
Mayor Mamdani has also called for stronger support systems in New York City schools so that no child faces bullying alone.
What’s Next
Blackson has not yet announced dates or locations for his school visits. Flashinfong will share details when they are made public, along with any updates in the police investigation into Javits’s death.
Read more: NYC Mayor Mamdani Reacts to Killing of Ghanaian Teen Javits Frimpong
Sources: Michael Blackson (Instagram), via The Shade Room; Yen.com.gh; GhanaWeb; Wikipedia.