CLEVELAND (WJW) – More than 100 people gathered at Case Western Reserve University on Sunday for the 52nd annual Ebony Ball — a celebration of Black culture and achievement.
“We have amazing performances, amazing food,” CWRU African American Society President Desir’ee Neal said. “It’s just a really good time to be one with one another, network and foster connections.”
Neal said the theme this year was The Crown We Carry — signifying strength, pride and legacy.
Part of that legacy is sustained through two scholarships.
“Our first is the Myron Matlock Scholarship, which is dedicated to college students,” she said. “Our second scholarship is the Chappman-McGhee Scholarship.”
Seventeen-year-old Michael Chappman was a budding football star at John Hay High School. On July 6, 2017, the quarterback was targeted in a drive-by shooting.
He initially survived the gunshots and spoke with FOX 8 News from his hospital bed, but died weeks later on July 23. The murder remains unsolved.
Three years later, his sibling Tinita McGhee was killed in a car accident in September 2020. The African American Society added her name to the scholarship.
Their mother, Neicey B. Kemp, said the scholarship is making a huge impact in their honor.
“Their legacy — it means so much to me,” Kemp said. “I’ve been running all over the place, but at the end of the day, it makes me feel good that they are still known out here, that they can send a kid to college.”
Kemp said investigators are still working to solve her son’s murder, but the trail has gone cold. She remains hopeful that more people will come forward with information to help police solve the case.
Kemp said it’s been extremely difficult without two of her children, but she won’t stop making sure they’re remembered.
“I’m going to keep fighting this battle myself,” Kemp said.
Anyone with information can call Cleveland police directly or Crime Stoppers at 216-252-7463. A $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest, and tipsters can remain anonymous.
To donate or learn more about the Chappman-McGhee Scholarship or the African American Society, email afroam@case.edu or the Office of Multicultural Affairs at theoma@case.edu.
Tino Bovenzi
Source link