© 2024 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY · WNPR
WPKT · WRLI-FM · WEDW-FM · Public Files Contact
ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Clark Atlanta University Announces Full Scholarships For Rayshard Brooks' Children

Clark Atlanta University and alumna Pinky Cole are teaming up to offer full scholarships to Rayshard Brooks' four children, who range in age from 1 to 13 years old.
Jeff Martin
/
AP
Clark Atlanta University and alumna Pinky Cole are teaming up to offer full scholarships to Rayshard Brooks' four children, who range in age from 1 to 13 years old.

A university in Georgia is partnering with an alumna to award full scholarships to the four children of Rayshard Brooks, the Black man fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer in the parking lot of a Wendy's drive-through on June 12.

Clark Atlanta University is teaming up with local restaurateur Pinky Cole to offer the scholarships, which are worth more than $600,000 and will cover the costs of full tuition, meals, room and board. University President George T. French Jr. said the scholarships will become available to all four children when they are ready to matriculate from high school to college.

Brooks leaves behind three daughters, ages 1, 2 and 8, as well as a 13-year-old stepson. An attorney representing the family said Brooks had plannedto take his youngest daughter skating to celebrate her birthday the following day.

"The senseless death of Mr. Brooks will undoubtedly have long-term financial effects on the family and these scholarships will not only provide them with a means to access a world class education, but will help them on their pathway of success," French said in a statement.

The announcement Saturday came three days after prosecutors filed chargesagainst the two arresting officers involved in Brooks' death, and two days after the officers separatelyturned themselves in.

Cole, whograduated from the university in 2009, is the CEO and operator of the Atlanta plant-based burger restaurant Slutty Vegan. She also heads the Pinky Cole Foundation, which focuses on empowering people of color to succeed financially and follow their entrepreneurial dreams. She wrote in the statement that Brooks' death had impacted her personally.

"I saw Rayshard's wife Tomika's pain, and my heart led me to want to help her and her children," Cole said in a statement. "Rayshard Brooks could've been my brother, my father, or even my significant other. I wanted to remind her that it takes a village and we are a part of her village."

Brooks' death is one in a series of recent high-profile killings of Black Americans by law enforcement, including George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor and David McAtee in Louisville, Ky., which have sparked waves of protests across the country.

Brooks' family is not the only one to receive support in the form of a college scholarship. The Board of Regents of Texas Southern University announced in a June 9 Facebook post that, together with its foundation board, it had approved a fund to provide a full scholarship for Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna, and will "prepare a place" for her if she wishes to attend.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.

Stand up for civility

This news story is funded in large part by Connecticut Public’s Members — listeners, viewers, and readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

We hope their support inspires you to donate so that we can continue telling stories that inform, educate, and inspire you and your neighbors. As a community-supported public media service, Connecticut Public has relied on donor support for more than 50 years.

Your donation today will allow us to continue this work on your behalf. Give today at any amount and join the 50,000 members who are building a better—and more civil—Connecticut to live, work, and play.

Related Content