STOMP Out Bullying panel educates students on homophobia, racism and hatred

NEW YORK (WABC) -- One out of five children in the U.S. is a victim of bullying, and nine out of 10 LGBTQ+ students face harassment in schools, according to STOMP Out Bullying, the leading national nonprofit for bullying prevention.

To spark a conversation about the need to change the culture of cruelty to one of kindness, STOMP Out Bullying hosted its fifth annual Culture Shock Event, a virtual panel that streamed live on this website.

This impactful event was also streamed to schools nationwide and beyond.

The moderator was TV host Jeannie Mai Jenkins, and the panelists were Lyric Ross ("This is Us"); Casey Cott ("Riverdale"); Leo Sheng ("The L Word"); and Diego Tinoco ("On My Block").

The panel came together as part of National Culture Week, which allows young people to share and learn from each other's diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences.

The discussion educated students on homophobia, racism, and hatred and gave schools a template for encouraging conversations throughout Culture Week and the remainder of the school year.

"Our goal is for them to walk away from this event wanting to connect with students who are different than they are, with no judgment or prejudice," organizers said in a statement.