A Missoula teacher's video is going viral on social media, for his reaction to a racist encounter at the local grocery store.
Ibrahin Mena moved from Venezuela to Missoula three years ago to teach English and Spanish at Missoula International School.
"I didn't know how to act because I came from a country where we are all mixed so I never experienced that," Mena said.
On January 4, Mena said he was shopping for kitchen sponges at the grocery store when another customer said some racist remarks.
"In that moment, that person told me that I should use the sponge, and that it was perfect for me, that I should use the sponge to take my skin off," Mena said.
The comments left Mena speechless, but he wasn't speechless for long, quickly taking to social media about his experience.
Mena talked about his encounter at the store saying in the viral video "I think people need to know that this thing happened , and also an opportunity for me to share how I feel."
10,000 people watching the video, and that's when Mena said something wonderful happened.
"I give a little bit of love, and I receive a lot. I have received emails, the school where I work received emails, cards, comments. A lot of love," Mena said.
Love. That's the message Mena is trying to teach others moving forward. According to head of Missoula International School Julie Lennox, Mena is taking the lesson to the classroom.
"What he has done is opened up a conversation where he’s learning so many other people experience the same thing so how can we create a coalition and keep working to change," Lennox said.
She adds the school is holding an assembly in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, to get the conversation going about how to respond with hurtful comments with kindness.
Mena said he never expected dozens of people to respond to him. He wants to keep working to show others that love in stronger than hate.
"I think that everyone has a heart. If we start talking with the language of heart, we are going to start understanding each other," Mena said.
