Ahmaud Arbery's Mother Announces College Scholarship In His Honor

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On the second anniversary of the death of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones revealed another way she plans to carry on her son’s legacy. According to 11Alive, Cooper-Jones announced that she is launching a scholarship program through the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation. Each year, six seniors from Brunswick High School–which Arbery attended–will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship. She hopes in the years to come she’ll be able to award more students.

“As we all know, nothing will bring my son back, but I know God wants us to repurpose the pain, my pain, into service to make life better for other young men like Ahmaud,” she said at the first annual Ahmaud Arbery Day event at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. “When we hear the name of Ahmaud Arbery, we will now hear and think of change.”

Recipients of the scholarship will be announced on May 8, Arbery’s birthday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Just a week prior, Feb. 23 was declared to be Ahmaud Arbery Day thanks to a resolution introduced by Georgia House Representative Sandra Scott. Each year there will be a “Run with Maud” event where participants will run 2.23 miles on Feb. 23.

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“We believe in helping to create opportunities for young Black men to further their education, to start a business, to simply build a life,” Cooper-Jones added. “Something Ahmaud did not have the chance to do,” Cooper-Jones said. “Justice goes beyond judgment made in the courtroom. Justice ensures every child, no matter what their skin color, his socioeconomic situation, is safe and has equal opportunities to realize their dreams.”

Arbery was chased and killed by three white men, father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael and their neighbor William Bryan, on Feb. 23, 2020 while going for a run in Brunswick, Georgia. After being found guilty for his murder, they were all found guilty of all charges in their federal hate crime trial on Feb. 22. Greg McMichael was found guilty of interference with rights, attempted kidnapping and using, carrying, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Travis McMichael was found guilty of interference with rights, attempted kidnapping and carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. William Bryan was found guilty of interference with rights and attempted kidnapping.

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