by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
October 19, 2025
The Standing In The Hole Fund will help households impacted by gun violence.
The household of Ajike “AJ” Owens, the Black mom fatally shot by her white neighbor in Florida, refuse to let their cherished one’s demise go in useless.
Owens was shot and killed by Susan Lorincz at an Ocala residence advanced in June 2023. Within the case that made nationwide headlines, Lorincz shot Owens via an residence door throughout a dispute over the slain lady’s kids enjoying in entrance of her house. The stunning homicide was additionally featured on Netflix’s “The Excellent Neighbor” documentary, garnering extra consideration to Owens’ story.
Lorincz was convicted of manslaughter in 2024 and ordered to serve 25 years in state jail for the killing. Nonetheless, Owens’ household needs the legacy of the Black mom to be greater than justice served. Provided that their daughter’s life was taken by racially motivated gun violence, Owens’ mother and father have created their very own group to assist different households coping with such situations.
“No sentence or verdict can ever carry full peace or accountability for what was taken from our household,” Dias informed CNN. “Our focus stays on honoring Ajike’s legacy via justice, therapeutic, and group care.”
Dias co-founded the Standing within the Hole fund with Takema Robinson. The fund supplies “rapid-response grants” to households which have suffered from gun violence, whereas additionally selling gun reform coverage.
“What started as a response to unimaginable tragedy has grown right into a motion for justice, therapeutic and collective care. We consider the trail to vary is twofold: look after households immediately and reform for tomorrow,” defined Robinson.
Gun violence nonetheless persists throughout America, with the Gun Violence Archive reporting over 11,000 shootings occurring simply this 12 months. Standing In The Hole’s mission stays vital to addressing this disaster. By 2027, they hope to broaden their funding to supply grants to political organizers.
“The Fund was born out of that want – to remodel grief into motion,” continued Dias. “Supporting this fund isn’t charity – it’s group care in motion. Collectively, we will guarantee nobody else has to face within the hole alone.”
Nonetheless, Owens’ demise is greater than an occasion of gun violence. It additionally brings up the sample of racially motivated assaults that proceed to threaten Black folks within the U.S.
“My daughter and I’d usually have conversations about what we wished out of life, and she or he would inform me, ‘Someday the world will know my title,’” the grieving mom added. “My daughter’s story reminds the world that love might be louder than hate. We stock that love ahead in every little thing we do – making certain that her legacy is just not outlined by tragedy however by transformation.”
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