Mother of black boy who was mocked by racist Facebook users takes to social media to defend her son

The little boy who has since been identified as Cayden was mocked by Facebook users after a man posted a selfie he took with him on his Facebook page. His mother Sydney Jade wrote on her Facebook page:

This Cayden Jace! The love of my life, the apple in my eye, my everything. All this lovely personality wrapped up into one small person’s body. When people hear about him, these are the pictures I want them to know about. Not that disturbing image and its comments. We are above all of this nonsense that has been going on. Cayden and I truly appreciate all of the love that we have been shown in the last 24 hours. You guys warm my heart, more than words could ever express. This little guys has every piece of my heart, he is my world and #HisNameIsCayden.

Sydney Jade, and her mother, Susan Hardy were recently interviewed by Atlanta Blackstar where they spoke about Cayden and the Facebook incident.

     "He’s my grandson. He’s not deaf, he’s not mute, he’s not abandoned," Hardy said regarding rumors which spread about Cayden over social media.  She said her grandson is bright and loving, and advanced beyond his age.       

     "His mother reads to him, and they go over the ABCs, so when we hear things like deaf, dumb and abandoned, our hearts are broken. It has been heartaching that my child and grandchild have to go through such hate, and for an innocent child–who [in] this day and age attacks a child?"

Hardy adds that the viral nature of Roth’s Facebook post has had serious implications for their family.

     "All this hate came about," she says. "And now my daughter and my grandson are across the nation. He put not only Cayden but Sydney in danger by posting Cayden."

She also mentioned her concern about the exploitation and trafficking of children which takes place on the Internet.

     "Our office is a small office, there’s only 10 people. We all hang out," Jade said of her office, which she described as a tightly knit group.

As the Facebook post of her son became viral she was unaware until a friend brought it to her attention.

     "I was really caught off guard, and the fact the picture had been posted September 16th, and he wasn’t fired until the 29th, and acting like nothing happened," she says. "He just went about like nothing even happened. It went on for days, a week and a half before anyone found out it even existed."

She adds that she’s grateful for her employer’s swift action once the post was discovered.

     "It makes you feel good to know your boss has your back, even though he couldn’t do anything to prevent it," she says.

Most of all, Cayden’s mother and grandmother wanted to focus on the positive.

      "On Friday morning when this happened, I didn’t expect this massive outpouring I’d get in the next few days. I never in a million years expected it to be this massive,” Jade says. "If it has to start with us, I’m going to finish it.  It was my son put in the limelight. And not only my son but a child, a 3-year-old, someone who can’t defend himself."