In an effort to bring awareness to bullying the Anti-Bullying Bully Basher Tour will make a stop Saturday in Meridian to inform students in Lauderdale County “That it’s cool to be in school, it’s not cool to be a bully in school!”

Oliver “DjBig0317” Jackson, a former radio personality, along with special guest MTV and national recording artists AD POLO and Scene, will be at Skate Odyssey in Meridian on North Hills Street from 2:30-4:30 p.m. as part of a world tour to bring a stop to bullying.

Jackson launched the campaign after his daughter fell victim to bullying at age 6.

“I was working for David Letterman at the time and was called by my daughter’s school during a meeting with him,” Jackson said. “One of the teachers sent me a picture of her and it looked like she had been hit by a train. I couldn’t concentrate, was  in tears, and couldn’t understand how this could have happened.”

Our goal is to touch a million kids’ lives to prevent suicide and gun violence, Jackson said. Bullying takes on many forms – lies, cyberbullying, gossiping, hitting, pushing, name calling, teasing, mean words and threats.

“We need to do something to help encourage, empower and educate these kids to let them know bullying is not going to get you anywhere fast,” Jackson said. “The person you trip in the lunchroom and do nasty pranks on just might be someone who could help you in the future for whatever reason.”

AD POLO said the tour allows him to be a person children can relate to.

“I use to get bullied in school a lot and I hope my experience will educate others,” AD POLO said. “Our seminars are not about someone who just gets up and talks. We engage the children by music – because if they can dance, have fun and act silly they will pay attention to what you are saying.”

For those who visit Skate Odyssey Saturday, AD POLO says you just might see him with a pair of skates dancing around the rink – something he said he enjoys.

Signs of bullying

• Unexplainable injuries.

• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics or jewelry.

• Frequent headaches or stomach aches, feeling sick or faking illness.

• Changes in eating habits, like suddenly skipping meals or binge eating. Kids may come home from school hungry because they did not eat lunch.

• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares.

• Declining grades, loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school.

• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations.

• Self-destructive behaviors such as running away from home, harming themselves, or talking about suicide.

SOURCE: stopbullying.gov