Remember the story of Katie Goldman, the 7-year-old who got bullied for being a fan of Star Wars? Well, she’s gone from being just a cute kid with glasses and missing teeth and a big smile. Now, she is the focal point, the face of an entire pro-geek movement. A Facebook group kicked it off, and now the plan has gone viral. Star Wars fans are wearing their best Star Wars duds to show support for geeky kids everywhere today. I’m wearing my Darth Vader teeshirt from high school; are you going to dress to support Katie today?
The show of support this little girl has gotten, from Star Wars fans all around the world (and even people who actually work within the Star Wars universe) has been amazing. The fact that the Goldmans are using their support to help other kids too, by encouraging Katie’s new legion of friends to donate toys and money to charities (and by donating most of the stuff that Katie’s been getting to charity themselves) is also incredibly heartwarming.
“What strikes me is how these individuals who were once so isolated are now part of a very tight community,” wrote Katie’s mom, Catherine Goldman, in a blog post. “They have found each other; they are plugged into each other, and they have each other’s backs. Now they have Katie’s back, too.”
Image: Scott Zirkel
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