Jaheem Herrera

Jaheem Herrera was an 11-year-old boy from Atlanta, Georgia, who hanged himself on April 16, 2009. According to his mother, Masika Bermudez, Herrera was bullied in school, which drove him to suicide.AJC: Taunted Boy Just Told Pals, 'Bye'

Masika Bermudez appeared on the May 6, 2009, episode of the The Oprah Winfrey Show with Sirdeaner L. Walker, the mother of Carl Walker-Hoover, another 11-year-old boy who committed suicide after he was bullied in school.Oprah.com: The Truth About Bullying

After Herrera's family moved to Atlanta from the U.S. Virgin Islands, Herrera enrolled at Dunaire Elementary School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. According to Herrera's mother, Masika Bermudez, he was constantly bullied at school, including one incident where he was choked in the bathroom by his classmates. Bermudez claimed she complained to the school several times, but nothing was done to correct the situation.AJC: Taunted Boy Just Told Pals, 'Bye'

On the afternoon of April 16, 2009, Herrera came home from school and told his family that classmates had called him "gay." Upset by the situation, he went to his room, locked the door and hanged himself with a belt. His body was found by Bermudez some time later in the day.AJC: Taunted Boy Just Told Pals, 'Bye'

After Herrera's death, DeKalb County launched an investigation into bullying in its school. Monique MacMiller, a mother of another student at the school, claims her son was bullied for three years, despite multiple complaints to the school.WABE (Atlanta): DeKalb Investigates Response to Bullying Complaints