Tampa, FL – This past weekend, the Andrew Joseph foundation held a benefit gala on the 12th year angelversary of Andrew Joseph III.

Lovingly known by family and friends as “Peewee,” Andrew Joseph, III was a 14-year-old student who was attending a school district-supported fair day with friends when he was struck and killed by a motorist as he tried to cross Interstate 4 on foot after being wrongfully detained, ejected, transported and then abandoned outside of the fair by local law enforcement officials, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, with no call to parents.

The gala’s theme was “Coming to America” which was in part inspired by an 1980s movie of the same name, but also in part by the African Diaspora all across the world over the last several centuries. Deanna Joseph, co-founder of AJF and mother to Andrew Joseph III stated, “What began as a sacred gathering through the Coming to America Gala has grown into a worldwide diaspora collective rooted in remembrance, culture and connection across oceans and generations.”

The gala was hosted by community leader Dr. Michelle N. Williams and had a number of cultural performances, sermons and featured keynote speaker Norman Harris. The speakers recounted the monumental struggles that the Joseph Family has waged and won, from civil lawsuits to statewide policy reform. As the event came to a close, the Josephs emphasized the continued and ongoing work that must be done to address systemic racism and police terror all across the United States and beyond.

“From Florida to Africa. From grieving families to global community. The work is moving onward,” said Deanna Joseph.

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