Troy Davis's nephew needs help

[Generic Other]

This is a terrible story. The poor kid lost most of his family when his uncle was executed. Anyway, someone who is close to the family asked me if I would post this to DU. If anyway wants to help the kid, I include all the information I received. I hope this is not breaking any rules in GD, but I felt that DUers should be able to at least hear this appeal as so many expressed sadness and sympathy at the execution of Troy Davis.


"De'Jaun belongs to all of us now."

I sat in the pews of the church in Savannah, GA on December 10, 2011 as Ed DuBose, the president of NAACP's Georgia State Conference uttered those words.

I was at the funeral of De'Jaun's mother, Martina Davis-Correia, just two months after my last funeral in Savannah: for De'Jaun's uncle, Troy Davis, who had been unjustly executed by the state of Georgia. Virginia Davis--Troy and Martina's mother, De'Jaun's grandmother--had passed five months before Troy was executed.

I first met De'Jaun when he was fourteen years old, and was speaking in New York as the keynote speaker for the NAACP's youth conference in parallel to their centennial. I was amazed at how poised, insightful, and articulate this young man was. An uncle on death row and a mother with terminal cancer had made De'Jaun wise beyond his years.

The more I interacted with De'Jaun over the years that followed, the more I realized--this is a special young man, with incredible gifts to offer the world. Troy, Martina, and Virginia all knew it--their dearest wish was for De'Jaun to get a top-rate education and to develop his full potential.

I am asking you to help De'Jaun realize his potential, utilize his gifts, and pursue the opportunity of a lifetime.

De'Jaun has been accepted to Morehouse College, where Martin Luther King Jr. once studied. It is the school of his dreams and an opportunity of a lifetime.

After all that this young man has lived through in his 18 years, he deserves so much to have the chance to pursue his goals (which are to obtain a dual degree in electrical engineering and business) at an educational institution that is not only excellent and arduous, but that shares De'Jaun's commitment to social justice and social change.

De'Jaun needs our help to fulfill his dreams, and to realize Troy, Martina, and Virginia's hopes for him.

I hope you will take a moment to visit the Indiegogo Campaign I set up for De'Jaun, contribute what you can, and share the link with others. (I set the amount at $4,300 in order to be confident that the funding goal would be reached; however, the amount needed far exceeds that funding goal.) I hope you will take a further moment to spread the word via social media, email, etc. The campaign site is:
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/tuition-for-troy-davis-s-nephew/x/2759559

With Martina, Troy, and Virginia gone, Ed DuBose's words keep ringing in my ears:

De'Jaun belongs to all of us now.

With great hopes for De'Jaun's future,

Jen Marlowe
Founder, donkeysaddle projects
Twitter: @donkeysaddleorg