Actually, he would just be another defenseless victim. I found that kids focused on the consequences more than the demographics.
We had a kid in high school who was an Italian guy from New Jersey. Everyone thought his father was in the Mafia because the Godfather had just come out. The bullies left him alone. Why didn’t they go after him? One word: The Fear of Consequences. OK, four words.
These bullies on the bus are not afraid of the consequences. If the nerdy smart black kid has a brother who is a leader in the Crips or Bloods, the bullies will leave him alone. They are afraid of those consequences.