"In 2020, Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones made a promise no mother should ever have to make - a vow to fight for justice for her son, no matter how long or how painful the road ahead would be. Her youngest, Ahmaud Arbery, was only 25 when he was murdered for being a Black man jogging in a suburban Georgia neighborhood. Even with a cell phone recording of the murder taking place, it would be months before anyone was even arrested."
"Five years later, Cooper-Jones is still fighting: Not only for her son, but for the right of every young Black boy to run freely without fear. Through the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, she has built safe spaces centered on community, mental wellness, and belonging. This year, as an honoree in Adidas' Honoring Black Excellence initiative and a feature voice in their Community Archives zine, she's continuing to tell Arbery's story in service of the next generation."
Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones vowed to seek justice after her son Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was murdered while jogging in a suburban Georgia neighborhood in 2020. A cell phone recording captured the killing, yet arrests did not occur immediately. In 2022 three men received life sentences plus 20 years, and a federal appeals court upheld hate-crime convictions in November 2025. Cooper-Jones transformed grief into a mission by founding the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, which creates safe spaces focused on community, mental wellness, and belonging. Adidas became a major contributor, sponsoring an annual community run and funding $75,000 in scholarships. Cooper-Jones continues public advocacy to protect Black youth.
Read at Scary Mommy
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