Kids get picked on. It's a part of growing up that most people either had to deal with or had to witness others deal with. More often than not, it seems harmless, but what happens when it becomes dangerous? Bullying has grown into a national problem, and several stories have recently made national news. One case in particular involves 13-year-old Monique McClain of Middletown, Connecticut. Monique began to experience bullying on her fourth day of middle school last year. "This all started over a hairstyle," says Alycia McClain, Monique's mother. "The 8th grade girls said she was a 'biter' which was a copycat."
The bullying continued and got so bad that Alycia pulled her daughter out of school on January 25th and found her a volunteer tutor. The incident really shook Monique's confidence and she became an introvert. Finally, Alycia stepped in and took Monique to the local boxing club, The Lion's Den. "Because I was being bullied, my mom thought it would be good to put me in boxing to build self-confidence," says Monique. It didn't take Monique long to get hooked to the sweet science. "Maybe because I wasn't in the house so much and I was doing something that I liked."
Because Monique's story garnered national attention, it hit very close to home for one man known for his fighting ability. "The first time I heard about Monique's story was a few days before I arrived in Connecticut for my fight with Sergei Dzinziruk," says middleweight champion of the world Sergio Martinez. That fight took place in March. Martinez chose to reach out to Monique because he was bullied as a child. "Monique's story was very familiar to me. I knew I could help her and make a big difference in her life." Martinez feels he shares a connection with Monique, and it's a problem that affects many children today. "I believe that Monique was alone during this moment, as I was when I was younger. Monique has motivated me to spread the word on anti-bullying and forever I'm grateful. We have developed this bond that could never be broken and forever I'm committed to help Monique."
Alycia McClain is also grateful for Sergio's impact on Monique's life. "If Sergio hadn't reached out to Monique, she would probably still be in her room. She got to the point she wasn't eating and she was down to 94 pounds. After meeting Sergio, he kept telling her it gets better. She ended making her own red and black wristbands saying 'no mo bullies' and the other side says Sergio's motto, 'it gets better'...just Sergio reaching out and including her in the fights, it almost seems like they've taken her on as a little sister." Martinez also promised Monique he would be at her first fight, whenever that may take place. "For someone to take a plane across the U.S. for a five-minute fight, that means a lot to her."
As for Monique's current situation, she is still not enrolled in school because the school board has yet to take any action. "We only have one school in our town," says Alycia. "Anything else is a charter or magnet school. The board of education is issued a certain amount of seats that their students can attend. The magnet school said we have to go to the board of education. I called the superintendent and asked what Monique's options were. He was acting like he didn't know who I was or the situation going on. He said there are no options for Monique and I need to go back across the street to the middle school."
Middletown Schools Superintendent Michael Frechette was unable to discuss the situation due to legal issues. He says the school district stands behind its anti-bullying policies. "We take bullying very seriously. I think the district has been very proactive in regards to bullying as you can see on our school district website. We consider it a culture and climate atmosphere, and what we have been doing is trying to replicate what the rest of the country has been doing. Obviously it's not a perfect system, but I think the district has done a great job and will continue to implement its policies."
Even though Monique's life has improved significantly since the bullying began, she is still not healed from the situation and says the bullying continues to this day. "It still bothers me when I think about it because they have nothing better to do." Monique says the girls have started coming to her neighborhood and even into her parking lot as recently as three weeks ago. "They came into the parking lot and 20 girls tried to jump me. My mom called the police and the girls said they were just trying to play. It really didn't make sense how they wanted to play at a toddler park with 20 of them when they live on the other side of town."
Though the experience has been tough for Monique, she has become stronger because of it. "It's unfortunate it had to happen like that, but because of it, they've opened more experiences for me. I've become a bigger, better person than they are right now. I've been second-place middle school division coming in for kids court. I'm the youngest ambassador for the WBC (World Boxing Council). I've won many awards."
With Martinez scheduled to defend his middleweight title on Saturday night against Darren Barker in Atlantic City, New Jersey, HBO decided to fly Monique out to California where Martinez is training to reunite the pair and put together a special feature. "We spent a day out there and then went into Sergio's gym...He was surprised to see how much she has grown...We went to his house and it was a great experience. I know she had a blast," says Alycia.
Martinez says Monique and her family will be guests of honor with ringside seats at the fight. "Monique will be my special guest and hopefully we can spend some time together before and after the fight. I'm dedicating this fight to Monique for being so brave."
Martinez says Monique's story has pushed him to take action. "I'm part of the 'It's gets Better' campaign to raise awareness on anti-bullying. Also I'm involved with the WBC to stop bullying at Schools. Every chance I get, I do some public speaking to raise awareness throughout the world."
Monique knows how important a role Martinez has played and will be his biggest supporter on Saturday night. "Sergio is a great boxer. Hopefully we'll be best friends for life because he stepped into my life when I really needed it."
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