Teen's Tragedy Transformed Into Mission To Fight Gun Violence

Student smiling with anchor at news desk
Abeni Jones
December 17, 2019

Ru’Quan Brown is an IMPRESSIVE young man. He’s a high school senior who killed the SAT, and made a 3.9 GPA. He’s student body president at his school, and a champion varsity track and field runner - AND football player. 

It’s a no-brainer that colleges would be fighting over who gets to welcome this remarkable teen to their campus - but what ended up actually happening is INCREDIBLE.

Brown received TWENTY-FIVE offers from colleges - 16 of them FULL RIDES - to schools like Howard, Georgetown, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale.

But that’s not even the most extraordinary thing about him.

Tragically, Brown’s stepfather and one of his friends were both killed by gun violence in separate incidents. 

Instead of just mourning, he decided that he needed to do something - and Love1 was born.

While the national conversation around gun violence tends to exclude Black youth, Brown founded Love1, a clothing company, in 2019 to raise awareness - and money - to combat gun violence. 

“You never know how your 1 act of Love might literally save someone’s life,” goes the brand’s tagline, which donates 20% of all profits to an anti-gun violence organization.

We celebrate this #BlackExcellence! When you follow your passion, turn your tragedy into positivity, and give back to your community, people will notice. Ru’Quan Brown, you’re an inspiration to us all!

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