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“For him, I knew how hurtful that was. Everywhere he’s gone, he’s been the minority,” she said. “The hope was it would be done by now, and his kids would never have to go through that. I’m tired of this happening.”

Upon hearing the most recent events at her sons’ school, Doyle-Lynch decided to take action. After a sad, sleepless night contemplating how to handle the situation, she posted an emotional video on Facebook pleading with parents to start a dialogue with their children about not just tolerating differences, but celebrating them.

“It’s not just for my kids that I’m sad, angry and tired for. It’s a plea for everybody,” Doyle-Lynch said. “People are afraid to talk about being different and that needs to change. We can’t sit back and hope somebody else will say something — this kind of stuff should not still be hurting our children.”

Doyle-Lynch’s video, entitled “A Mother’s Plea,” had garnered more than 10,000 views as of Sunday, and she said her family has been overwhelmed by the hundreds of parents who have reached out to show their support.

“These conversations need to continue so that these things don’t happen somewhere else,” she said. “I want my kids to walk through life looking at everyone as equals — I don’t want them to feel less than, that’s hurtful. The colour of their skin or where they’re from shouldn’t have anything to do with it.”

After reporting the incidents to the school, Doyle-Lynch said she felt relieved at how well the situation was handled and the apologies made by the students involved in the incidents.

“The school was wonderful; the dialogue has been really open between our family and school,” she said. “We had a meeting set right away, and they made sure my sons knew they were loved and cherished there as a person. We do feel in terms of that situation our hearts have been put at ease.”

abrooks@postmedia.com