Article By Terry Winfield // EEW Magazine // Acts of Kindness

A little bit of kindness goes a long way.

Two African American students at Martin Luther King College Prep in Memphis, Tenn., gifted a white bullied kid with a bag of clothes and a brand new pair of shoes—effectively ending the taunting against the classmate for wearing the same thing to school daily.

The two popular athletes, both upperclassmen, who, along with other schoolchildren, had laughed and teased Micheal Todd for his lack of wardrobe changes, suddenly had a change of heart.

“When I saw people laugh and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something,” Kristopher Graham, one of the two kind-hearted students, told WHBQ-TV.

So he reportedly said to himself, “I’ve got some brand new shoes I can give him and a few items.”

With that, Graham texted his friend and teammate Antwain Garrett, encouraging him to join the effort to do some good. Both got on the same page, packed up a box with the apparel from their closets and handed the items over, the school confirmed to WHBQ.

Here’s how the sweet moment played out.

Do-gooder Kristopher told WHBQ of Todd, “He wasn’t smiling or anything, and I was like, I think this is going to make you smile. We’re in the same third period, and I apologize for laughing at you, and I want to give you something to make it up.”

Another student stood off to the side filming the heart-warming exchange and then uploaded the footage on social media—and it went viral.

Todd, who said no one had ever given him anything before, told the teens his mother could not buy him clothes because he was “growing too fast.”

“You guys are the best guys of my entire life,” Todd told the pair.

Now school officials are praising the big-hearted boys who are responsible for all the donation offers pouring in for Todd. The wonderful thing that happened at MLK College Prep, which is part of the Frayser Community Schools charter network, has grabbed the attention of founder and CEO, Bobby White Jr., who called the boys a “beacon of light and oasis of hope,” according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“Antwain, Micheal and Kristopher are overwhelmed by the outpour of support from our community and people from across the country,” Frayser Community Schools spokeswoman Erica Williams told People. “Unfortunately, situations that show students in need are not unique within our school because we serve a demographic where the household income is well below the state and national average.”

Todd told USA Today it was “the best day of my entire life,” adding, “I was shocked, completely.”

With all the ugliness in the world often surrounding racial tensions in America, it is delightful to see a depiction of friendship, unity and love—regardless of race or socio-economic status.