Rapper Kodak Black was so moved by his visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that he is now funding a scholarship in honor of one of the victims of the 2018 shooting at the school.
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This Sunday marked the third anniversary of the school shooting that left 17 dead when a student opened fire on his classmates, teachers, and staff. One of the victims, Meadow Pollack, 18, died in the shooting while trying to save another student. Black, born Dieuson Octave (but legally changed his name to Bill Kahan Kapri) was her favorite rapper.
Hailing from Pompano Beach, Florida, along with good friend Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 23-year-old Dying to Live star was released from federal prison after pleading guilty to firearms charges. He was pardoned by outgoing president Donald Trump in the final days of his presidency.
Black visited the school on Sunday, People reported, the third anniversary of the shootings, to participate in the tribute honoring those whose lives were taken that day.
“They [were] young and none of them deserved this. They wasn’t in this life to be killed,” Black said at the tribute.
“Meadow Pollack, she’s so beautiful, but the situation is bigger than Meadow Pollack,” he added. “It’s about all of us. It’s about all the other kids. It’s about the whole school. It’s about all of Broward [County].”
Black will fund the scholarship at Southeastern University Law School for students who are studying for a degree in criminal justice and prison reform. The school’s board will select students based on academics, an essay and merit. Pollack’s brother is a student at the university, which is located in Lakeland, Florida.
Pollack’s father, Andrew, spoke at the Republican convention last year and credited former president Donald Trump for creating the Federal Commission for School Safety, which released a report in December 2018 with recommendations on how to prevent future shootings.
Black also recently committed to providing money for the educations of the children of two FBI agents who were killed in Sunrise, Florida earlier this month.
Though he has been pardoned on the federal weapons charges, Black is still facing state charges in South Carolina where he’s accused of sexual assault and rape.
According to Complex, he is alleged to have taken a high school student back to his hotel room in February 2016 after a show in Florence. The alleged victim says he then forced her to have sex and bit her. She ultimately told a school nurse who reported it to police and Black was indicted on first-degree sexual misconduct in October of 2017.
Florence prosecutors have said they will “aggressively” pursue charges until either a plea deal or a trial, according to Complex.
Black once walked out of an interview with New York City radio personality Ebro Darden for his Ebro in the Morning Show on Hot 97 when the sexual assault charges were brought up. Though Black has a history of generously donating to various causes, he also has a number of criminal cases in his past.
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Despite that, Black’s generosity and charitable endeavors are part of what reportedly led Trump to grant him a pardon. And he’s paying it forward with the scholarship.
“I’m going to help and I hope me setting up this scholarship will make a difference for something,” Black said at the tribute. “I just want to make a positive impact for this community.”
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