Tempest Smith

Tempest Smith (September 16, 1988 – February 20, 2001) was a 12-year-old girl from Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA who committed suicide by hanging on 20 February 2001. Based on the contents of her diary, the cause of the suicide was assumed to be bullying by her classmates at Lincoln Park Middle School. She wrote that she was targeted for her interest in Wicca, Gothic clothing and shy demeanor. At the time, school officials urged others not to put the blame on Smith's classmates, stating that burdening them with guilt over a student's death was not constructive.

Five months after the suicide, Tempest Smith's mother, Denessa, filed suit against the school, alleging that they had turned a blind eye to the bullying and that their inaction allowed an avoidable suicide. She also claimed that the school district was biased against followers of Wicca, referring to a 1999 case in which high schooler Crystal Seifferly sued the district for prohibiting her from wearing a pentagram; in that case a US district judge ruled that the district's policy against such jewelry was a violation of religious freedom.

A foundation called the Tempest Smith Foundation was formed in her memory to promote religious tolerance.

The Pledge:blackrose::rose: What is remembered, lives. :blackrose::rose:

I remember Tempest Smith.I remember that it's never right to make fun of someone's beliefs.I remember that sticks and stones can break my bones, but names arewords of power that can wound the soul.I remember that many mocked - and one died.

I remember Tempest Smith.I remember that it takes all types to make a world.I remember that nature likes biodiversity. This is true of beliefs and ideas as well.I remember that I make a better witness to my own beliefs by simply living them, not belittling others.

I remember Tempest Smith.And I remember that another person’s belief (or non-belief) is just as sincerely held as my own.I remember to have the courage to say, "Hey, that's not right," when I see someone being ridiculed.And the next time I am tempted to go along with the crowd and tease someone who is "different," I will remember Tempest Smith, and I will remember my pledge.

:blackrose::rose: Because what is remembered, lives. :blackrose::rose:

On February 20, 2001, a young girl named Tempest Smith killed herself in Lincoln Park, Michigan, USA. Her suicide was directly caused by the taunting of other students who mocked her because she was "different" and because she was Wiccan. This is a dramatic and extreme example of hundreds of everyday cases of prejudice based on religion. Even those who would never make a racial or gender-based slur may still discriminate based on religion, because many faiths teach that their religion is the only true religion.

We know that change is made one person at a time. So in memory of Tempest Smith and millions of victims of religious discrimination worldwide, we at the Pagan Pride Project ask you to pledge these three things:

• I pledge my word and my honor to accept that another's belief, or non-belief, is just as sincerely held as my own.• I pledge that when I see prejudice based on religion, be it taunting on a playground or whispered in a board meeting, I will stand and say, "No. This is wrong."• I pledge that to the best of my ability, I will respect practitioners of other spiritual paths and treat them with kindness and courtesy.http://thedevianthelper.deviantart.com/journal/17312432/

ee also

*Bullying
*Mobbing

External links

* [http://www.rickross.com/reference/wicca/wicca30.html Article in the Detroit, about lawsuit] — July 4, 2001
* [http://www.tempestsmithfoundation.org The Tempest Smith Foundation]