Tag Archives: youth

Sad news … A.J. Cooper Death A former host of BET’s Teen Summit turned budding politician has died. A.J. Cooper who was just 34-years-old, passed away suddenly Wednesday from a heart attack. The Washington Post reports: The District lost an actual native son, Wednesday, one who truly wanted to do right by his hometown. A.J. Cooper was a likable rascal turned community activist. He died of a heart attack, a cruel irony for a man who gave so much of his heart to this city. He was 34. I’d known A.J. for years, ever since we were elementary school kids on the playground. He was sort of a wild kid, but he had charisma. He ended up leaving my school, but we played in the same Little League when we got older. After that, he went on to host BET’s Teen Summit, a show that made him somewhat of a national star, but more importantly solidified his interests in the youth of America. Two years ago, when he ran for city council for the first time, it quickly became obvious that he was a young voice that the Wilson Building could use. He believed in working to curb teen pregnancy because it so often derailed the educational opportunities that kids had available to them. Most recently, his work in urban farming initiatives occupied his time. He was a young man that cared about his city, plain and simple. Wow, condolences to the Cooper family! He was so young and so dedicated to D.C.

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R.I.P. Former BET ‘Teen Summit’ Host & D.C. Council Candidate A.J. Cooper Dies