Photo courtesy of Jasmine Arbery on Instagram
Ahmaud Arbery’s sister Jasmine dedicated her master’s degree to her late brother in a touching Instagram post to commemorate her graduation.
She also shared a series of stunning commencement photos on her personal Instagram page on May 3. She graduated from Albany State University with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.
“I dedicate this degree to my brother #AhmaudArbery,” Jasmine wrote. “The ceremony is held on your birthday, and you always believed in me! #BlackLivesMatter.”
Jasmine described the struggles she experienced as she worked towards her degree, including her brother’s death.
“Whew! A journey is not great unless you find what you seek,” the graduate wrote. “My journey was filled with many challenges that included working two jobs, a natural disaster, the tragic loss of my brother, a pandemic, giving birth, anxiety, grief and issues with my financial aid.”
Jasmine had quite the list, but she didn’t let those obstacles get in her way.
“But I am proud to say those challenges equal the factors that will make me an excellent therapist. I have the opportunity to offer support based on real-life experiences,” she continued.
Ahmaud died in February 2020 after being shot during an altercation with three white men in Brunswick, Georgia. Travis McMichael, his father Gregory and their neighbor William Bryan have been charged with Ahmaud’s murder. They were indicted on federal hate crime charges on April 28.
The suspects claimed they were attempting to issue a citizen’s arrest when they confronted Ahmaud because they believed he was burglarizing an unfinished house in their neighborhood. On May 10, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill to repeal the state’s citizen’s arrest statute, reported NPR.
“This bill makes Georgia the first state in the country to repeal its citizen’s arrest statute,” Kemp said.
“Today, we are replacing a Civil War-era law, ripe for abuse, with language that balances the sacred right to self-defense of a person and property with our shared responsibility to root out injustice and set our state on a better path forward.”
The McMichaels and Bryan are awaiting trial.