From Sleeping In The Car To Cap & Gown

The Finish Line & The Front Door: A.J. At Fisk

Two things are happening at the same time

This week, we’re starting something special.

For the next six weeks, I’m taking you inside two moments happening at the exact same time.

The finish line…

And the front door.

We have FIVE SENIORS GRADUATING this year. The most we’ve ever had.

Five young people who pushed through the hard days, the confusing days, the “I don’t know how this is going to work” days… and now they are standing at the finish line.

At the very same time...

We just opened applications for our 2026-27 school year. Not just any move-in season...OUR FIFTH!!!!!

So while one group is preparing to walk across the stage…

Another group is standing at the door trying to figure out if they can even walk in.

And if you really want to understand Move-In Day Mafia…

You have to see both.


We Don't Just Move Them In
If you’re new here…

Move-In Day Mafia is the family that shows up for students at HBCUs who have aged out of foster care, are unhoused, or are navigating college without a safety net.

We don’t just move them in.

We stay.

Four years. Monthly care packages.

Because getting into school is one thing.

Staying is where everything gets tested.

We are family...or "Mafia Miracle Makers" as I like to call it.


Meet A.J.

If you are on our email list, on Wednesday, I introduced you to A.J.

But I want to sit in his story a little longer.

A.J. is graduating from Fisk University in May!

Before college, he and his siblings were living in a car while their mom was fighting cancer. He was trying to stay focused in school while carrying a level of responsibility that most adults would struggle under.

That kind of pressure could have easily rewritten his story.

But it didn’t.
Because even in that season… he kept moving.

One step at a time.
One decision at a time.
One “don’t give up” at a time.

And eventually…

That persistent resilience opened a door.

He made his way across the country to Fisk University on a basketball scholarship.

From the outside, it looks like that should have been the turning point.

But life doesn’t just flip like that.

A.J. is the oldest.

That didn’t change just because he got to campus.

Even while balancing school and basketball, his mind never left home. When NIL money started coming in, he didn’t use it to make life easier for himself. He sent money back to his family, because that’s what he felt called to do.

That detail right there tells you exactly who A.J. is

His struggle didn't magically disappear.

But he kept showing up anyway.

And let me tell you something else I love about his story…

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, A.J. didn’t just survive college.

He stepped fully into it.

And when I say that… I don’t just mean he made it through.

I mean he made history.

He became the first Black man from an HBCU to win the Perry Wallace Courage Award and got flown out to Arizona for the Final Four.

His city, Long Beach, showed up and honored him like family.

And on top of all of that.

He’s graduating in four years… almost debt-free.

That alone would be enough to celebrate.

But A.J. didn’t stop there.

One of his proudest accomplishments?

Crossing into Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

And baby… if you know, you KNOW.

That’s not just letters.

That’s legacy, discipline, and a whole lot of earned pride.

And now, in just a few weeks, Persistance and Resilence walks across that graduation stage.

Not wondering what’s next.

CHOOSING what’s next.

Get this...He has a job opportunity with the fire department in Nashville. He has opportunities to continue playing basketball.

He has options.

And when your life has started in survival mode, the ability to CHOOSE hits different.


What I Don't Want You To Miss

This is your moment too.

When you bought that Palmer's Coco Butter…
When you grabbed that Tide detergent…
When you tossed his fave cereal, Honey Smacks, into your cart...

When you snatched up that Wave brush.

You probably thought you were just checking out.

But you weren’t.

You were supporting A.J.’s pursuit of the finish line.

You were helping remove distractions… creating stability… making sure he could stay focused on what mattered.

And all those moments?

They added up.

So yes…

This graduation? You, Mafia Miracle Maker, deserve to be just as proud as I am.


While He's Finishing...Someone Else Is Just Starting

While A.J. is walking toward the finish line…

Applications are open right now for our next class.

Our fifth Move-In Season!

Somewhere, a student is sitting in their own version of that “car moment.”

Trying to figure out if college is even possible.
Trying to figure out if they’re about to do this alone.

This is where the front door opens. If you know a scholar who has aged out of foster care, is unhoused, or is trying to navigate college without support, please have them apply.

👉🏾 MoveInDayMafia.org/Apply

Typically, this section shows you screenshots from several of our students' forms, sharing their good news. But in honor of A.J.'s graduation, we are showing just his.

Stand in line for somebody else

On Wednesday, I attended The State of HBCUs Executive Summit hosted by the Student Freedom Initiative.

During the Q&A portion, I had the chance to introduce myself to a panel of HBCU presidents, and I won’t lie… seeing heads nod when I said “Move-In Day Mafia” felt gooooood. It felt like the work was being seen.

But that’s not what stayed with me.

Nah. What stayed with me was a lone student.

You see, after I told the room about the work of Mafia. When the event ended, I was wonderfully bombarded by audience members and the staff of the presidents who wanted to get involved.

Standing patiently as I answered questions and connected, this student stood patiently waiting to tell me...

Not about herself.
About her friend. Her. Friend!

She told me her friend is in foster care and just got accepted into Morris Brown College, and she’s scared about not having everything she needs.

She stood there… patient… intentional… advocating for someone else’s future.

And I couldn’t stop smiling.

Because that’s when you know something deeper is happening.

When support doesn’t just meet a need…

It multiplies.
It teaches people to look beyond themselves.

To care differently.
To move differently.
To speak up when someone else doesn’t have the words or the room.

And it made me sit with a simple question:
What would change if more of us chose to stand in line for somebody else?


Before I Go

Before we close out this week…

We’ve got one more step for our seniors.

We created a fund to cover all six of their graduation fees, regalia, and gifts.

And now it’s time to celebrate them… properly.

Fisk University - 05/03/26
Lane College - 04/25/26
Delaware State University 05/15/26
Paul Quinn College - 05/02/26
Benedict College - 05/02/26
Prairie View A&M - 05/09/26

The total is $2,893.

👉🏾 MoveInDayMafia.org/Graduates

Every dollar goes directly to celebrating them the way they deserve, and as always, your gift is tax-deductible.

See you next week to tell you about another graduating scholar!