Middle School Student Sees Classmate Getting Bullied for His Shoes, Buys Him a New Pair

Courtesy of Bryant Brown Jr.

After seeing his friend getting bullied for his shoes, a New York middle school student decided to step in and help. In a touching act of kindness, the pre-teen used his allowance to buy a brand-new pair of sneakers for his friend.

Bryant Brown Jr., 34, the dean of culture at Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School told The Epoch Times that on Oct 25, Romello Early, 12, placed a box on his desk, stating that it was for his friend Melvin Anderson.

“Then Melvin came into my room,“ Brown said. ”I told him to open up the box as I thought it was a pair of cleats because he plays football but when he opened the box, it was a pair of sneakers.”

Melvin Anderson (L) and Romello Early (R). Courtesy of Bryant Brown Jr.

The delighted seventh grader, who Brown described as—“very humble; always smiling”– called for his friend Romelo, and Brown then snapped a photo of them together.

“It touched my heart,“ Brown recalled, ”it made me very teary.”

Moved by this sweet act, Brown said that he shared the picture on Facebook, because it meant so much to him.

He wrote on his Facebook post: “This is what I live for ... be that helping hand.”

Needless to say, the heartwarming post went viral garnering over 22,000 reactions and some 2,000 shares.

Brown described Melvin as someone who is very quiet.

“When people pick on him, he’s not quick to get mad,“ Brown told The Epoch Times. ”But when Romello identified what was going on, instead of joining in with the other kids in teasing Melvin, he went home determined to get him new sneakers.”

“I could tell it was upsetting him,” Romello told WGRZ. “It just put a real bad ache in my stomach to see somebody have to go through that, and to be to be picked on just based off appearance.”

Bryant Brown Jr (L) with Melvin Anderson (R). Courtesy of Bryant Brown Jr.

(L-R) Bryant Brown Jr, Romello "Mello" Early, Melvin Anderson, and Wesley Anderson after Melvin's football game. Courtesy of Bryant Brown Jr.

According to Brown, the big-hearted teenager told his mom, Anita James, to take him to the store so that he could get Melvin the shoes. The following day, Romello gifted Melvin a pair of Nike sneakers that he bought with his allowance.

Melvin has been really appreciative of Romello’s gesture.

Brown, who was raised in Buffalo, was especially touched by Romello’s generosity since it reminded him of his own upbringing.

“I give my brother a pair of sneakers every year for his birthday,” he said, “because growing up, he took care of me.”

Brown left work in the private sector to join Buffalo Creek Academy Charter School in 2019 when approached by the school’s CEO, Dr. Christopher Ralph Manning Jr. to help develop the fledging project. An independent, tuition-free public charter school, Buffalo Creek’s motto is “Sharpen the Mind, Carve the Path.”

The school has now been open for three years and plans to eventually grow from a middle school into a middle/high school, according to its website.

For Brown who teaches youngsters leadership, integrity, focus, and excellence, “it was a no-brainer to work with the school to get back to the community.”

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