Country Singer Billy Dawson Joins The Chattanooga Bar Association To Speak On Anti-Bullying
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Country Music singer Billy Dawson, a singer, songwriter, entertainer, author and motivational speaker, will be in Chattanooga during the week of Sept. 12-16 to speak to the Hamilton County middle school students. He is a strong advocate for anti-bullying, and is the author of Amazon’s best seller, You Never Know, the first book in a series of children's books focusing on bullying, racism and other societal issues involving children.
"He brings his book to life when he speaks at schools about the importance of respect and love in everyday life.
Billy partners with Dallas Cowboys player Emmitt Smith on some of this work," officials said.
Lynda Hood, Chattanooga Bar Association executive director and a friend of Billy Dawson said, "When his book was released, I wanted the CBA to partner with him and the Hamilton County Middle Schools and talk on the issue of anti-bullying. We are hearing more and more about bullying and it is a national concern."
“The National Education Association reports that six of 10 American teenagers witness bullying in school every day, and an estimated 160,000 students stay home each day out of fear of being bullied. About 71 percent of students report bullying as an ongoing problem.
"Bullying is more than teasing, making jokes or "boys being boys." It's more than throwing punches or pushing a child down. It can include name-calling, spreading rumors or mocking a person's differences, either in person, behind a child's back, or through the Internet or cell phones. It can be pushing a peer around or physically harming him. The less powerful are frequently targeted.
"Bullying does more than make life unpleasant for the picked-on students. It can damage their self-esteem, cause depression, distract them from school, hurt academic performance and cause them to be afraid to go to school. In some cases the effects reach into adulthood or worse, to death. Research has indicated that bullying victims are more likely to attempt or complete suicide,” officials said.