Wanda Cooper-Jones on Honoring Ahmaud Arbery and Building a Safer Future for Black Youth
Story written by Marivette Navarrete
Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones at home, standing between portraits of her son Ahmaud Arbery. / Photo courtesy of adidas
"I am not standing alone. God has favored me to have people beside me to ensure that Ahmaud Arbery’s name lasts forever."
When Wanda Cooper-Jones describes herself, she begins with the most important truth: “I am the proud mother of Ahmaud Arbery.” Her son’s name is one the world now knows. On February 23, 2020, 25-year-old Ahmaud’s life was stolen in a racially motivated hate crime while he was simply out for a run in Brunswick, Georgia. The brutality of his killing devastated millions, but it was Wanda’s unwavering pursuit of justice that shifted the nation.
Her courage, persistence, and refusal to accept silence from the legal system forced accountability where there was initially none. Ms. Wanda’s voice— steady, unbreakable, guided by a mother’s love— became the spark of a global movement.
Today, more than five years after Ahmaud’s passing, Wanda continues her work with renewed purpose. Her leadership is now recognized on national platforms, including being honored in adidas’ Honoring Black Excellence (HBE) initiative and spotlighted in the brand’s Community Archives zine, highlighting the impact of her mission to uplift young Black boys and their communities.
The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation
After securing justice for Ahmaud, Ms. Wanda knew her work was not finished. Ahmaud’s life, and the circumstances of his death, demanded something far more enduring. So she built it. The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation emerged from that conviction: a nonprofit committed to creating safe spaces where Black boys and young men can run freely, learn, grow, and access the opportunities Ahmaud was denied.
Starting in 2021 with a scholarship and a vision, the foundation has grown into a community ecosystem supporting empowerment and healing. “We give scholarships to young men that looked like Ahmaud,” she explained, noting that recipients must describe who Ahmaud was, how his story inspires them, and commit to civic engagement through voting and community service. “My hope is that we teach them things that will be with them forever.”
The Foundation’s core programs are carrying that mission forward:
Run With Maud 5K: a movement for health, remembrance, and community action, raising funds for scholarships and youth programming.
Youth Experience Camp: an immersive leadership and social justice summit offering boys hands-on mentorship, team-building, and pathways to a brighter future.
AAF Scholarship: financial support designed to remove barriers to higher education and help students thrive.
Her dream now is national expansion. “I would want this summit, this curriculum, to be carried nationwide. That’s my dream and hope,” she told The Mujerista.
Her work has also become a rallying point for Black mothers in Georgia whose sons move through a world where safety is not guaranteed. During the Foundation’s youth summit in September, seven mothers stayed the entire day listening, learning, and actively participating alongside their sons. Their presence struck Ms. Wanda deeply.
“When the parents are involved, we can make changes,” she said. “It may not happen immediately, but change will come.”
This shared experience, with sons gaining leadership skills while mothers gain community, is central to the Foundation’s power. It creates a circle of protection and possibility, reminding families that their children deserve dignity, safety, and joy.
“It’s really a win-win,” Ms. Wanda said. “I win because I see the work being done by the foundation to build the legacy of Ahmaud Arbery. The students win because we teach them things that will be with them forever. And the parents win because we all come together to uplift these boys.”
Through her leadership, Ms. Wanda builds programs and a future where Ahmaud’s legacy inspires opportunity and Black boys move through the world with freedom, confidence, and community.
This vision is not something she carries alone. It’s been strengthened by partners who saw the depth of her mission and chose to run beside her.
Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones at the Run With Maud 5K, an annual community run held in partnership with adidas to honor Ahmaud Arbery’s legacy. / Photo courtesy of adidas
How adidas Became a Partner in the Work
Ms. Wanda’s partnership with adidas began unexpectedly: with a Zoom call in 2021.
“Adidas was one of our first sponsors. From that moment on, they stood beside us so I could continue my mission,” she said.
What started as a conversation with adidas became a long-term collaboration prioritizing youth safety, healing, and impact. adidas has supported the foundation’s launch, invested in programming, and sustained Ms. Wanda’s work.
Their collaboration has:
Supported the launch of the foundation
Expanded Wanda’s impact through their Community LAB social-enterprise accelerator
Enabled annual Ahmaud Arbery Day run club activations
Collaborated on the Run With Maud 5K
Spotlighted Wanda in their Honoring Black Excellence: Create With Purpose series
Awarded grants to strengthen the foundation’s programs
This year, for #GivingTuesday, adidas is continuing to honor Ms. Wanda by featuring her in their inaugural Community Archives zine, a publication highlighting changemakers shaping culture, equity, and community infrastructure.
“I’m so thankful and honored that they allow me the space where my story can be told in the zine, ” Ms. Wanda shared. “Where people all around the world will know that we are trying to make changes in our community.”
And those changes are already underway.
Photo courtesy of adidas
Building a Future Where Black Youth Can Thrive
When asked what communities must do to uplift and protect Black youth, Ms. Wanda is clear:
“It can’t just be the mothers. It can’t just be the fathers. We can’t rely on school counselors. It’s a team effort.”
She believes Black boys deserve communities that consistently remind them that their lives matter. Not just in moments of crisis, but every single day. Through the foundation’s programs, scholarships, youth summits, and growing network of support, she is helping create exactly that: a future where Black boys can move through the world with dignity, opportunity, and joy.
In the midst of building that future, Ms. Wanda holds close the moments that show her the impact of her work: moments that remind her she is carrying Ahmaud’s spirit forward with honor, when she feels Ahmaud’s pride.
One of the most powerful, she said, came during the community run alongside adidas on February 23, 2021. Exactly one year after Ahmaud’s murder.
Despite the rain that afternoon, people ran. And they ran for him.
“Just to see that I’m not standing alone…I have been given grace, and God has favored me to have people to stand beside me to ensure that Ahmaud Arbery's name lasts forever. And just to see men running...just to have people [who] did not forget what happened to Ahmaud.”
Ms. Wanda points to the tangible changes sparked by Ahmaud’s life. A kind of impact she knows her son would take pride in. “I want Ahmaud to not just reflect how he was killed, but a reflection of the work that we’re doing in the community,” she shared. Because of Ahmaud, Georgia passed a state hate crime bill. The citizen’s arrest law, in place since 1867, was also repealed. Both are the kind of change that ensures Ahmaud’s name lives forward.
Photo courtesy of adidas
What Ms. Wanda Wants the World to Know
As our conversation ended, Ms. Wanda’s final message held the same clarity that carried her through grief, advocacy, and transformation:
“I don’t just want to talk about the change, but to see the change. And that's just my prayer.”
Her work ensures that we do.
Ms. Wanda Cooper-Jones / Photo courtesy of adidas