Outrage has turned to action in Rochester after a white woman launched a racist verbal assault on a 5-year-old Black child at a public park—an incident that has sparked national condemnation, a surge of community support, and a flood of donations aimed at helping the young victim heal.
The Rochester Branch of the NAACP said the incident, which occurred on April 30, was a deliberate and threatening act of racial hate—not a misunderstanding or isolated outburst.
According to the organization, the child, who is also reportedly on the autism spectrum, was targeted with repeated racial slurs, including the N-word. The woman did not express remorse and doubled down when confronted by a bystander.
“This was not simply offensive behavior—it was an intentional racist, threatening, hateful, and verbal attack against a child, and it must be treated as such,” the Rochester Branch of the NAACP said in a statement. “Public parks should be safe, inclusive spaces for children and families—not sites of hate and trauma.”
A widely circulated video of the incident drew sharp backlash, as did the woman’s subsequent move to launch a fundraising campaign for herself. She identified herself as Shiloh Hendrix and claimed she needed financial help to relocate in the aftermath.
In less than 24 hours, her campaign raised nearly $150,000. As of this week, it has surpassed $600,000, with many of her supporters openly defending her use of racial slurs and demonizing the child.
In response, the Rochester Branch of the NAACP acted quickly, launching a GoFundMe campaign to support the young victim and his family. That campaign has since raised $341,484 in just two days, thanks to an outpouring of support from across the country and around the world. The NAACP has since closed the fundraiser at the family’s request.
“From the beginning, this campaign was rooted in a powerful truth: no child should ever be dehumanized, and love must always be louder than hate,” the NAACP said.
According to the organization, 100% of the funds raised—minus standard platform fees—will be placed in a trust account solely managed by the child’s parents.
“No member of the Rochester Branch of the NAACP has received—or will receive—funds from these donations,” the organization clarified.
The incident has drawn attention to a rising tide of hate and bigotry not only in Rochester but across the nation. Over the past year alone, the Rochester NAACP has documented a troubling number of racially motivated acts in the area, including racist slurs painted on a bridge near Century High School, a noose and effigy used to intimidate a Black family, and swastikas and racial epithets spray-painted on the home of a local representative. Islamophobic and antisemitic acts have also increased.
“This is not an isolated incident,” the NAACP said. “It is part of a troubling and painful trend that continues to escalate across the country.”
Community members seeking to do more are encouraged to support the NAACP’s ongoing work through the Rochester Branch’s Fighting Fund for Freedom at rochesterbranchnaacp.betterworld.org/donate.
“This is about more than one incident. It’s about who we are as a community and what we choose to stand for,” the Rochester Branch of the NAACP said. “Help us match the funds raised in defense of hate with an equal force of love, justice, and action.”