With the death of FAMU’s Robert Champion, A&T student and sister to Champion and their mother started Drum Major for Change Foundation to bring awareness worldwide about hazing.

The Novemeber death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion has sent shockwaves to many campuses nationwide — especially at HBCUs.

The topic of hazing has not only been campus talk, but also water cooler conversation amongst faculty and staff.

Amid this tragedy, Champion’s family is on a mission to not let this happen to someone else’s family.

Brittany Champion, a A&T junior was Robert’s little sister and is one of the forces behind The Robert D. Champion Drum Major for Change Foundation.

“I hope that knowledge about the foundation my family started in remembrance of my brother will encourage others to take a stand against hazing,” said Brittany.

This foundation was founded on Jan. 28, a few months after Robert’s death was ruled a homicide.

He was a drum major in the band’s ‘Marching 100’ and died during an alleged hazing ritual.

Out of this tragedy, the Champion family created this foundation to ensure his death was not in vain.

“I started the foundation because I didn’t want other mothers to experience what I went through,” said Robert’s mother Pam.

The foundation is divided into two sectors in order to reach different age levels thoroughly and appropriately.

The C.H.A.M.P (Creating Hazing Awareness Mentality Progression) and M.U.S.I.C. (Musicians United To Serve In Cohesion).

The C.H.A.M.P. program enables youngsters to tour colleges and universities.

At the high schools, they host forums, show documentaries and vivid pictures to raise awareness and go in depth about what hazing is and its effects.

The M.U.S.I.C program deals with elementary schools and middle schools to raise awareness of bullying and hazing to prevent it from reaching the college level.

The foundation is a non-profit organization and runs solely on donations and merchandise sales.

The merchandise available for sale include “I am Champion” T-shirts, bracelets, and even a song on iTunes dedicated to Robert titled “Champion (You’ll be remembered),” in which all the proceeds from the purchases go to the foundation.

Volunteers interested in working with the foundation are encouraged to tweet @RDC4Change and express their will to help.

The foundation also has a website, www.Drummajorforchange.com, and has promo videos for the foundation on YouTube that Brittany created.

Since the death of Robert, many colleges nationwide have held open dialogues about

hazing. N.C. A&T is no exception.

Last week at an anti-hazing forum in Harrison Auditorium Brittany shared that, “It hurt to listen to the panelist condoning hazing, and to be amongst my peers who were texting, tweeting, and not really concerned with the situation of hazing that I have to live everyday.” when asked about her experience at the forum.

Pam often quotes the bible verse Joshua 24:14 when she refers to the Robert D. Champion foundation. This states that “choose you this day whom you will serve.”

She goes on to add that you are either for hazing or against it, there is no in between.

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• Courtney Matthews Contributor