The Story
Maurice AC Kirkwood Jr.
1995 - 2015
On October 2, 2015 at 6 am, I was awakened by a knock at my door. Upon opening the door, I was greeted by a police officer who handed me a note that resembled a telegram. There was a phone number and a message telling me to call the number regarding my son. As I called the number, I remember feeling very anxious. I figured my son was in jail and I had to go and bail him out. I recall thinking “there goes my paycheck” because it was payday. Not because this has happen in pass. Truth be told, I have never had to bail him out of anything. I thought this because he was a college student and things happen and maybe this would be his first time. After leaving a message for a return call, I couldn’t wait and noticed I had a text from his girlfriend. I called her and got the worst news any parent could ever get. My son had been shot and killed. I was devastated to say the least. While planning his funeral, I was greeted by many of his friends and family telling me how much my son had inspired and touched their lives. I was in awe with what he had done for these people. Many of these things I did not even know about.
My son, Maurice, was a second year college student. He had his own place, a job at Macy’s and he was in discussions with two companies about an internship the night before he was murdered. My son was raised in a two parent household, with working parents, who were educated beyond high school and not living in poverty. I knew that his story was different. His story didn’t fit the average story of a child brought up the way he was. I started the Maurice AC Kirkwood Jr. Foundation in his honor to:
· Ensure that his murder was not his final story;
· Because my son loved and inspired people; and
· We were always inspired to provide others the same opportunity we were afforded
He, in fact, risked his life that night because of his love for people.