Relief Fund raises $1 million to lift Jacksonville community reeling from racist killings

Beth Reese Cravey, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
Updated ·5 min read
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Mourners pay their respects at a vigil constructed with crosses and a mural at Almeda Street and Kings Road in Jacksonville. Two days earlier, a white gunman shot and killed three Black victims at the Dollar General store about a block away.
Mourners pay their respects at a vigil constructed with crosses and a mural at Almeda Street and Kings Road in Jacksonville. Two days earlier, a white gunman shot and killed three Black victims at the Dollar General store about a block away.

In less than a month, the First Coast Relief Fund raised about $1 million to address hate and systemic racial inequities in the Jacksonville area following the racially motivated Dollar General shootings.

On Aug. 26 a white gunman killed Angela Carr, Jerrald Gallion and Anolt "AJ" Laguerre Jr. — all Black residents — at the Kings Road store and then turned the gun on himself. Police classified the murders as a hate crime because of manifestos detailing the shooter’s hatred for Black people.

"Racialized violence is not new to our country or to Jacksonville," said Isaiah Oliver, president of The Community Foundation, a founding partner of the Relief Fund. "Other communities have been through crises like this before and they have found innovative ways to put generosity to work toward long-term, transformative change. That’s what this moment calls us to do here."

The reactivation of the Relief Fund, which was founded in 2016, is the latest community effort to address hate and racial inequities in Jacksonville.

In 2022 in response to a local surge in antisemitic hate speech, a $1 million fund was created to combat antisemitism and bias through communitywide education and discussion. The Together Strong Community Fund is being administered by the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida, another Relief Fund founding partner.

Spurred by the same hate speech, the Jewish Community Alliance and First Coast YMCA recently launched an initiative called "Together Against Hate: Promoting Unity in our Community" that incudes a speakers series on topics such as faith, race, antisemitism, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, gender and diverse abilities.

Such community reactions, including the $1 million donated to the Relief Fund, are telling, according to Kimberly Allen, CEO of 904WARD, a nonprofit working to build an inclusive community in Jacksonville.

Pastor Lee Harris (far right) from Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church leads a prayer with neighbors near the Kings Road Dollar General store where a white man shot and killed three Black victims Aug. 26 in a self-proclaimed hate crime before taking his own life.
Pastor Lee Harris (far right) from Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church leads a prayer with neighbors near the Kings Road Dollar General store where a white man shot and killed three Black victims Aug. 26 in a self-proclaimed hate crime before taking his own life.

"This is a pivotal and defining moment in Jacksonville's history and identity," she said. "What our community experienced … with the racist murders of Ms. Carr, Mr. Laguerre and Mr. Gallion, what those families experienced, is unfathomable. The First Coast Relief Fund reaching this critical milestone sends a clear message that there are people in this community who recognize that we have to double down on our efforts to eradicate racism and hate in all forms."

The fundraising response "also demonstrates that every one of us — individuals, corporations, philanthropists, nonprofits, government — has a part to play in transforming our city and having this tragedy be commemorated as the turning point for Jacksonville," she said.

The turning point will be when "we genuinely work together to embrace all the complexities of our past, engage in honest and authentic dialogue that positively changes the narrative and culture of our city," she said, as well as "strengthen the willpower to address persistent systemic inequities and embody the kind of hopefulness and love that future generations would be proud to champion."

Spreading out resources for a common cause

The Relief Fund will fund nonprofit efforts to "address systemic issues that have created disparities in our communities," according to the United Way. Grants will also go to nonprofits that provide support, such as grief counseling, to people and neighborhoods affected by the shootings.

Donors so far include Bank of America, CSX, Dollar General, Fifth Third Bank, Florida Blue, the Furyk Foundation, Itel Laboratories Inc., the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Players, Anne and Bob Lufrano, the NFL Foundation, PNC, Regency Centers, Telescope Health, Carol and Joe Thompson, VyStar Foundation and Kimmie Winston.

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"We are incredibly grateful," said Melanie Patz, president and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida, a founding partner in the Relief Fund. "This is a strong start to our community’s response and a clear indication that hate will not be tolerated in Northeast Florida."

Established in 2016 after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, the Relief Fund has distributed nearly $9 million through 251 grants to 128 organizations in response to Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Irma in 2017 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The Relief Fund was reactivated Aug. 29, three days after the murders, with a new partner, the Jewish Federation & Foundation's Together Strong Community Fund. "Hate and racial violence against any group has an impact on everyone in our community," federation President Mariam Feist said.

Together Strong will match Relief Fund donations made through September up to $250,000. David Miller, co-founder of Brightway Insurance, launched Together Strong with a $1 million donation and challenged the community to support the latest effort.

"To overcome the threats of hate and racial violence, we need everyone in our community to stand together," he said. “Stand with us and with our neighbors who are most affected.”

First Coast Relief Fund: $5.4 million raised to help nonprofits meet 'unprecedented' pandemic demand

Other founding Relief Fund partners are the Jessie Ball duPont Fund and United Way of St. Johns County. The partners' collaboration is "designed to maximize the impact of tax-deductible donations to support the local community when a crisis sparks an outpouring of generosity from local and national donors," according to the United Way.

The application period for grants will begin later this year. Applications will be considered by a committee of local leaders, including representatives of the partners and the affected communities and local experts on trauma and racial equity.

The committee will use "best practices learned from the philanthropic response to racially motivated violence" Charlottesville, Va., and Buffalo, New York, among other cities, according to the United Way.

bcravey@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4109

FIRST COAST RELIEF FUND

For a complete list of donors and more information, go to firstcoastrelieffund.org. To contribute, go to firstcoastrelieffund.org/donate; text HEALINGJAX to 50503 or send a check payable to the First Coast Relief Fund at 40 E. Adams St., Suite 310, Jacksonville, FL 32202 and write "Healing Jax" in the memo portion of the check.

For anyone grieving the murder victims or otherwise in need of free mental health services, the United Way's 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides round-the-clock free and confidential support and resource referrals. Dial 9-8-8 on your phone, or go to unitedwaynefl.org/988lifeline.

Also available is United Way 211, a free information and referral hotline available 24 hours, seven days a week to connect callers to emergency resources, including crisis response efforts. Dial 9-1-1 or go to unitedwaynefl.org/get-help.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Dollar General murders in Jacksonville spur $1 million for Relief Fund