#HisNameIsCayden Goes Viral After Facebook Selfie Generates Racist Comments About Child

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- An Atlanta mom's endearing hashtag #HisNameIsCayden is getting lots of attention on social media in the Bay Area and nationwide after a spate of racist Facebook comments on a man's selfie forced her to create it.

It all started when Sydney Shelton's co-worker snapped a selfie of himself and her 3-year old son, and posted it on Facebook. Friends of Geris Hilton aka Gerod Roth posted a litany of degrading comments about the boy, asking if Hilton had purchased him, calling him 'Kunta', 'Toby', and maligning him because he is black.

Fast-forward a couple of days -- Hilton's post goes viral, his employer fires him -- even one of his Facebook friends reportedly loses her job for commenting, "I didn't know you were a slave owner."

In a televised segment on the local news, a contrite Hilton says he feels bad for the boy, and even himself. He apologizes, albeit indirectly, to a tearful Shelton.

In true mom fashion, Shelton retaliates with a Tweet of her own, signing off with the hashtag "HisnameisCayden."

His mother Sydney speaks about her beautiful son... #HisNameIsCayden pic.twitter.com/Hrp8zsjw6O

— ☥ Ife Johari ☥ (@IfeJohari) October 3, 2015

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"This is 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."

Sheldon's Tweet has been retweeted and favorited hundreds of times -- proving that a loving hashtag is sometimes mightier than the sword.

CBSSF.com writer, producer Jan Mabry is also executive producer and host of The Bronze Report. She lives in Northern California. Follow her on Twitter @janmabr.