An 11-year-old Murray, Utah student was harassed by a group of teens who shouted racial slurs at him while he was on his way home from school.

Mateus Romualdo was alone when a car full of teens harrassed him Thursday, Oct. 5 but his mother wanted to do something about it.

“He was walking home from school last Thursday when a car full of teenagers drove by repeatedly yelling a racial slur at him,” his mother Heather Romauldo told Fox 13. “He felt very terrified and actually told me he thought the kids were going to shoot him.”

Romauldo shared Mateus' story on Facebook where a local youth basketball coach Troy Harlan caught it. Harlan decided to help Heather make Mateus feel better about himself after the racism he faced by organizing a walk.

On the day of the walk, Oct. 11, Mateus was joined by hundreds of people from the community to show that racism isn't cool and those teens do not represent the ideals of the people around him. They walked with him as he went home, held signs and comforted him in his time of need.

“The message I want to happen is that people need to be held accountable,” Harlan said. “You're not born to hate people, you're taught to hate people. I don't care what color you are: We are all the same. ”

We need more of this!

Photo: Giphy

Mateus Romualdo

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week