Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, says his son has been bullied at school and that he has reported the matter to the school’s authorities.
Mr Smith said he had warned that he would remove his son if action was not taken. Speaking on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, November 7, he said the incident showed that racism and racial discrimination remained present in the United States.
“Nobody can convince me that racism doesn’t exist in America; it exists. It still exists. My son has been tormented,” he said. “I asked him to report it to the authorities; it got me very worried, and I expressed worry to the Principal.”
Mr Smith said his son had been expected to use American slang and speech patterns immediately after starting school, leaving some African children feeling isolated.
“They wanted him to speak with American slang on day one. And they make you feel just like unwanted. They make the kids feel lonely,” he said.
He added: “This kind of bullying is no news at all. Personally, I’ve experienced it, my son. They do that. I don’t know why they do it. But the most painful part is that usually it’s black people doing it to black people.”
The ambassador said some Americans appeared offended when people spoke differently or had a different skin colour.
Two Ghanaian deaths in the Bronx
The comments came as two Ghanaians were killed in the Bronx within a week.
Joseph Owusu, a 24-year-old caregiver who had been missing for about two weeks, was found dead at a New York dump site. His body had reportedly been discovered by a man searching for scrap metal.
Surveillance footage obtained by American broadcaster ABC7 and viewed on November 6, 2026, showed two people believed to be adult men removing a large black duffel bag from the boot of a white saloon car. The pair dragged the bag on to the pavement before driving away.
The following day, another man was filmed placing the bag on a metal stretcher and wheeling it away. Ghana’s embassy in Washington and its New York mission identified the body as Owusu’s. The mission said on Wednesday that an autopsy was under way, but no cause of death had been released.
Owusu’s brother, Kojo Yeboah, said the family wanted answers.
“I need justice for Joseph. I want the truth to come out because my brother didn’t deserve to die the way he did. He’s only 24. He had a lot of living to do. I cried till my nose was bleeding because I couldn’t eat,” he said.
Mr Yeboah was shown the footage and asked whether he recognised the people involved.
Javits Badu Nkansah Frimpong was shot on Thursday morning, October 29, while walking to school in the Bronx. The 15-year-old died at St Barnabas Hospital. His mother has travelled to New York to seek justice, and no arrest has been announced.
Mahama calls for action on gun violence
President John Dramani Mahama said the United States needed to address gun violence and the ease with which firearms could be bought. He was speaking on Thursday, November 5, at a meeting with the Presidential Press Corps at Jubilee House after returning to Ghana.
Mr Mahama said the precise motive for Javits’s killing remained unknown. Reports had linked it to bullying, while NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said three hooded people wearing surgical masks had chased the teenager, shot him, collected the shell casings and left on a subway train.
Police were considering robbery, mistaken identity and school bullying, but had not identified a preferred line of inquiry or named a suspect.
“It is part of the amendments in their constitution that give citizens the right to bear arms. So, anybody can go to a gun shop to buy one,” Mahama said.
He also referred to modern pressures and mental health, warning that people who appeared well dressed and outwardly fine could still be under severe stress.
“Sometimes, someone is stressed, but he is well dressed, and you will think that everything is okay. The day you realise that something is wrong, they may have guns shooting people,” he said.
Mr Mahama thanked the Foreign Affairs Ministry for helping Javits’s mother travel. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister James Gyakye Quayson received her in Accra, while Ghana’s New York mission visited the family and was instructed to provide assistance.
The Foreign Affairs Minister said the government was paying for her trip. Police have asked anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1-800-577-TIPS.
