Black Sisters Speak Out In Millbury

“Black as fuck,” “ugly,” and “too dark”— Black Sisters Speak Out About Racial Bullying in Millbury

Federal Intervention Needed to Address Pervasive Use of Racial Slurs and Unfair Discipline in Millbury Public Schools

Following months of escalating racial bullying, threats of violence, and disproportionate surveillance and punishment targeting Black students in Millbury Public Schools, Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) filed a civil rights complaint, demanding a federal investigation into the school district’s racially hostile and unsafe environment.

LCR filed a federal civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on behalf of two Black sisters, Melody (13) and Kamora (16) Dabney, and their mother, Trusha Vilvar, against Millbury Memorial Junior/Senior High School in Millbury, Massachusetts.

Melody and Kamora, two of only a few Black students at Millbury Memorial, were targets of relentless bullying by their peers, including the repeated use of racial epithets such as “monkey” and the N-word. 

“Black as fuck,” “ugly,” and “too dark”—this was the racist vitriol Melody endured in school. Throughout the school year, white students ridiculed her hair texture, facial features, and skin color. On social media, she was called the N-word, threatened with violence, and told to “go back” to her “mother land”.

The girls bravely reported these incidents, and their mother consistently communicated concerns to school officials. Yet, school officials took no meaningful action to root out racism or hold racist perpetrators accountable. 

Instead, school officials relied on racist and harmful stereotypes about Black girls, wrongly portraying Melody and Kamora as dangerous liars, treating them as aggressors, and punishing them in situations where there was no wrongdoing, or where they were clearly the victims:

• Calling the police to criminalize Kamora in connection with an altercation––despite Kamora’s non-violent history and no injuries to students. 
• Punishing Kamora for ripping up a piece of paper handed to her by a racist white student at the school library, saying: “Nigger pass”.
• Suspending Melody simply for adjusting her hair and putting it in a ponytail.

Kamora and Melody continue to face racial harassment, but now feel unsafe and hesitant to report it, knowing no action will be taken. They also know that reporting has retaliatory consequences, such as disciplinary action for bringing racist messages to the school’s attention.

The school has repeatedly imposed excessive suspensions on the sisters, exceeding its own disciplinary guidelines, and even involved law enforcement—perpetuating a pattern of disproportionately punishing students of color. Meanwhile, white student aggressors faced no consequences for public and pervasive racist acts. School officials have also shielded and protected racist students, calling police to escort many of the white aggressors to the bus stop, and having an assistant principal ride the bus to make sure white aggressors arrive at their drop off. 

The systematic discriminatory treatment has had a profound social, emotional, and psychological impact on the sisters, undermining their self-esteem, mental health, and academic performance. 

In light of this traumatic and unjust school experience, LCR’s complaint requests a federal investigation of the schools’ violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and demands remedial and corrective action to ensure that Black students are not subjected to a racially hostile educational environment in the future.  

“The unbearable racial bullying my children have suffered, coupled with the lack of accountability by the Millbury School District, must be addressed. Those responsible should be held accountable, and policies must change to ensure the safety of not only my children, but all students in the district,” said Trusha Vilvar, the mother of Melody and Kamora. 

“When students report discrimination, schools are not permitted to shirk their legal responsibility. They are not above the law,” said Mirian Albert, Senior Attorney at LCR. “Here, Millbury Memorial repeatedly failed Melody and Kamora by unjustly disciplining them instead of addressing the racial harassment they faced,” she added.  

Melody’s and Kamora’s experiences in Millbury reflect a growing wave of racial bullying in Massachusetts schools, compromising educational opportunities for students of color. LCR is currently representing Black students whose civil rights have been violated in  Brookline, Southwick, and Melrose (here and here). The prevalence of this type of racial harassment, coupled with school districts’ lack of meaningful response, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive federal intervention.

The civil rights complaint against Millbury is available here.

The civil rights complaint against Brookline is available here.

The civil rights complaints against Melrose are available here and here.

The civil rights complaint against Southwick is available here.