ATLANTA — Nearly 500 runners and walkers laced up to honor the legacy of Ahmaud Arbery, the man killed in a racially motivated shooting in a coastal Georgia neighborhood in 2020.
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They gathered at Shirley C. Franklin Park in northwest Atlanta Saturday for the Run With Maud 5K. It’s organized every year by the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, which funds academic scholarships for young men across Georgia and provides development, wellness, mental health and leadership programs for high school boys.
“It makes my heart smile to know that it happened six years ago, but my brothers and sisters have not forgotten what happened,” said Wanda Cooper-Jones, Arbery’s mother. “And to see something that was so painful turned into something so purposeful.”
The event raised more than $50,000, most of it funding academic scholarships.
“I want, when you think of Ahmaud Arbery, to think of change, love and unity,” she said.
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Arbery was chased by two men in a truck and shot dead in a neighborhood near Brunswick, in Glynn County. A father and son – Gregory and Travis McMichael – along with neighbor William Bryan, were charged with murder. They told police they thought Arbery was a burglar. They were convicted of murder, then a federal jury convicted them of hate crimes in the killing.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens attended Saturday’s run and walk, saying Arbery’s legacy will give hope and opportunity to generations of young people.
“This is now a way for us to honor him and his legacy, and this is about helping the youth,” he said. “So every step that people take is giving hope over hate.”
Dr. Donald Rucker, executive director of the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, said the first three recipients the foundation’s scholarships just earned their bachelor’s degrees. The people who turn out for the yearly run make a powerful statement.
“It means that the work that we’re doing, it matters and is working,” he said. “Every time I look at one of our young men, I can’t help but feel the presence of Ahmaud and look into his eyes and what he’s doing to impact the next generation.”
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