A village of protectors.
Keep Our Youth Alive (KOYA) is a dedicated initiative of the Alpha Educational & Leadership Foundation. It exists because a generation of young men is being buried before they get to graduate, marry, vote, or lead. We reject that future. We are building the alternative.
What we are building
Three academies covering Grades 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12. One continuous path from childhood into college and career.
Founding partners across the Alpha Phi Alpha network with law enforcement, education, and homeland security allies.
Chartered collegiate chapters embedding near-peer mentors on campuses nationwide.
Family, mentors, chapters, coalitions, national partners, and global allies — connected.
One-tap alerts, trusted circles, and rapid escalation to parents, mentors, and law enforcement.
That every young man in our reach is seen, mentored, and defended by the village that raised him.
“They can no longer walk, speak, or dream. So we will walk, speak, and dream for them.”
The numbers we refuse to accept.
Homicide is the leading cause of death for Black males aged 15 to 34 in the United States. Behind every data point is a mother, a mentor, a chair left empty at graduation. These are not statistics. They are our sons.
The registry surges in 2014–2015, again in 2020, and a new spike is compounding across 2022–2023 and 2026. The pattern is not slowing.
We say their names.
We walk in their honor.
They can no longer walk, speak, or shape their futures. We will be their legs, their voices, and speak their futures into existence. Every name below is a reason KOYA is not optional.
- 01
Sean Bell
Nov 25, 200623 · Groom · Queens, NY · Law Enforcement Action50 rounds fired by plainclothes officers on his wedding morning.
- 02
Oscar Grant III
Jan 1, 200922 · New father · Oakland, CA · Law Enforcement ActionShot in the back while pinned face-down on a BART platform.
- 03
Trayvon Martin
Feb 26, 201217 · Student · Sanford, FL · Vigilante ViolenceUnarmed teen shot walking home with candy and a drink.
- 04
Eric Garner
Jul 17, 201443 · Father of six · Staten Island, NY · Law Enforcement ActionProhibited chokehold. His words “I can’t breathe” became a rallying cry.
- 05
Michael Brown Jr.
Aug 9, 201418 · Graduate · Ferguson, MO · Law Enforcement ActionStreet shooting that sparked the Ferguson Uprisings.
- 06
Laquan McDonald
Oct 20, 201417 · Student · Chicago, IL · Law Enforcement ActionShot 16 times while walking away from officers.
- 07
Tamir Rice
Nov 22, 201412 · Middle-school student · Cleveland, OH · Law Enforcement ActionA child with a toy airsoft gun shot within seconds of officer arrival.
- 08
Walter Scott
Apr 4, 201550 · Coast Guard veteran · N. Charleston, SC · Law Enforcement ActionShot in the back while fleeing a traffic stop.
- 09
Freddie Gray
Apr 12, 201525 · Resident · Baltimore, MD · Law Enforcement ActionFatal spinal-cord injury while unsecured in a police transport van.
- 10
Mother Emanuel Nine
Jun 17, 2015Ages 26–87 · Parishioners · Charleston, SC · Hate-Motivated ViolenceNine Black parishioners murdered during Bible study.
- 11
Philando Castile
Jul 6, 201632 · Cafeteria supervisor · Falcon Heights, MN · Law Enforcement ActionShot after calmly disclosing a licensed firearm at a traffic stop.
- 12
Stephon Clark
Mar 18, 201822 · Father of two · Sacramento, CA · Law Enforcement ActionShot eight times in his grandparents’ backyard. Phone mistaken for a firearm.
- 13
Botham Jean
Sep 6, 201826 · Accountant · Dallas, TX · Law Enforcement ActionShot in his own apartment by an off-duty officer who entered the wrong unit.
- 14
Elijah McClain
Aug 24, 201923 · Massage therapist · Aurora, CO · Law Enforcement ActionStopped while walking home, restrained and injected with ketamine. Died days later.
- 15
Ahmaud Arbery
Feb 23, 202025 · Former football player · Satilla Shores, GA · Vigilante ViolenceCornered and shot while jogging by three local residents.
- 16
Manuel Ellis
Mar 3, 202033 · Musician · Tacoma, WA · Law Enforcement ActionDied in police custody after saying, “I can’t breathe.”
- 17
Breonna Taylor
Mar 13, 202026 · ER technician · Louisville, KY · Law Enforcement ActionKilled in her home during a midnight “no-knock” warrant.
- 18
George Floyd
May 25, 202046 · Father · Minneapolis, MN · Law Enforcement ActionDied after over nine minutes of knee compression to his neck.
- 19
Rayshard Brooks
Jun 12, 202027 · Father · Atlanta, GA · Law Enforcement ActionShot in the back in a Wendy’s parking lot after a sobriety stop.
- 20
Jonathan Price
Oct 3, 202031 · Public works employee · Wolfe City, TX · Law Enforcement ActionShot by an officer while trying to break up a domestic dispute.
- 21
Casey Goodson Jr.
Dec 4, 202023 · Grandson · Columbus, OH · Law Enforcement ActionShot in the back entering his grandmother’s home carrying Subway sandwiches.
- 22
Daunte Wright
Apr 11, 202120 · New father · Brooklyn Center, MN · Law Enforcement ActionShot after officer claimed to have confused her firearm for a Taser.
- 23
Andrew Brown Jr.
Apr 21, 202142 · Father · Elizabeth City, NC · Law Enforcement ActionShot in his vehicle by sheriff’s deputies serving a warrant.
- 24
Amir Locke
Feb 2, 202222 · Musician · Minneapolis, MN · Law Enforcement ActionKilled within seconds of a no-knock raid while asleep on a relative’s couch.
- 25
Patrick Lyoya
Apr 4, 202226 · Congolese refugee · Grand Rapids, MI · Law Enforcement ActionShot in the back of the head after a traffic-stop foot pursuit.
- 26
Buffalo Market Ten
May 14, 2022Ages 32–86 · Shoppers · Buffalo, NY · Hate-Motivated ViolenceTen Black shoppers murdered by a white supremacist livestreaming the attack.
- 27
Jayland Walker
Jun 27, 202225 · Resident · Akron, OH · Law Enforcement ActionStruck by dozens of rounds fired by multiple officers after a chase.
- 28
Tyre Nichols
Jan 10, 202329 · Skateboarder, father · Memphis, TN · Law Enforcement ActionBeaten by officers during a traffic stop; died three days later.
- 29
Jordan Neely
May 1, 202330 · Street performer · New York, NY · Vigilante ViolencePlaced in a fatal chokehold by another rider on an F train.
- 30
Cyrus Carmack-Belton
May 25, 202314 · Middle-school student · Columbia, SC · Vigilante ViolenceShot in the back by a store owner after a false shoplifting accusation. Owner acquitted June 2026.
- 31
Sonya Massey
Jul 202436 · Mother, called 911 · Springfield, IL · Law Enforcement ActionShot in her own kitchen moments after calling 911 for help.
- 32
Jerard Jackson
2024 / 2025Young Black man · Michigan · Suspicious Public DeathBody discovered hanging after attending a major music festival.
- 33
Tonea Jackson
2024 / 2025Young Black man · Miami, FL · Suspicious Public DeathFound hanging in a municipal park after local Juneteenth events.
- 34
Mario Kaiser Jr.
Apr 2025Young Black male · North Carolina · Suspicious Public DeathDiscovered with a noose around his neck. Community backlash over local handling.
- 35
Trey Reed
Sep 202520 · Delta State student · Cleveland, MS · Suspicious Public DeathStudent found hanging near campus tennis courts.
- 36
Nolan Wells
Jul 202618 · Student-athlete · Horn Island, MS · Drowning / Water-RelatedFound dead in water after a group outing with peers.
- 37
Kadir Skinner
Jul 2026Young Black man · Wilmington, DE · Law Enforcement ActionFatally shot in the back by police; body-camera footage complicated the department’s account.
- 38
Lasiah Palmer
Jul 2026Young Black man · Chicago (W. Garfield Park), IL · Community Gun ViolenceFound shot to death on the back porch of a home on Jackson Boulevard.
- 39
Daryl Martinez Lowry
Jul 2026Youth in foster care · South Carolina · Drowning / Water-RelatedAllegedly stabbed and drowned near his foster home; two teens arrested.
- 40
Unnamed teen
Jul 2026Teenager · Austin, TX · Law Enforcement ActionUnarmed teen fatally shot by Austin police at a city park.
- 41
Unnamed 14-year-old
Jul 202614-year-old · Charlotte, NC · Community Gun ViolenceShot and killed in northwest Charlotte; three teens charged.
One promise.
Three academies.
The KOYA Promise is a continuous developmental pathway. It begins in elementary school and delivers a young man ready for college, career, and community leadership.
Foundational character, public speaking, and identity formation. The launch pad of the pipeline.
Middle-school communication, decision-making, and brotherhood in the years most young men are lost.
The flagship pathway to college and career readiness, scholarships, and lifelong mentorship.
A continuum of care.
Protecting our youth requires an organized, connected effort at every level of human endeavor — from the kitchen table to the global stage.
- 01Family
Parents, guardians, siblings. The first and most important protectors.
- 02Mentors
Alphas, coaches, teachers, faith leaders. The near-peer voices young men trust.
- 03Chapters
Collegiate and alumni chapters embedding presence on every campus.
- 04Coalition
Founding partners and academy supporters coordinating resources and reach.
- 05National
Law enforcement, education, and homeland security allies at scale.
- 06Global
Diaspora partners carrying the mission across borders.
Join the movement.
Three ways to keep our youth alive.
Become one of 300 Founding Donors. A recurring monthly commitment funds mentors, academies, and safety infrastructure.
Coalition membership is a separate track for agencies, chapters, corporations, and civic institutions with formal MOUs.
Charter a KOYA Collegiate Chapter. Bring near-peer mentorship to your campus and connect to the national network.