Tywanza Kibwe Diop Sanders was born in Charleston, the youngest child of Tyrone and Felicia Sanders. He was genuine, kind-hearted, ambitious, zealous, inspirational, exuberant, faith-filled and faithful. Prior to pursuing his bachelors degree Sanders worked various jobs, including lifeguard, retail salesman, and barber. While completing his business administration degree at Allen University, he began to experiment in various sectors of the arts. He was entrepreneurial, a poet, musician, trained barber, and a man of God.
On June 17, 2015, Tywanza Sanders was assassinated while attending bible study at Mother Emanuel A.M.E. Church. Sanders was one of 12 persons attending the weekly Wednesday night bible study at the church next door to Second Presbyterian when a gunman, who joined the bible study session, opened fire and killed nine of the parishioners. While Sanders only lived for 26 years, he had an extensive life. He always sought new opportunities and embraced new skill sets. Prior to his death, he had been accepted at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida to pursue a degree in Media and Communication, which he was slated to begin in the fall of 2015.
Sanders’ legacy lives on through his family and friends. The essence of his character was pure love and no one was ever a stranger to him. To commemorate Sanders’ commitment to people, the Race 4 Achievement organization renamed an academic scholarship in his honor. The Tywanza Sanders® Legacy Scholarship is awarded to high school seniors graduating in the state of South Carolina. His family has also instituted an annual celebration held around his birthday which memorializes his life and legacy.
July is Tywanza’s birthday month and we hope you will join us in honoring and celebrating his memory. We are excited for the Tywanza Sanders Legacy Foundation to be back to serving youth with an entrepreneurial spirit again this year at Camp Wanza. Tywanza’s birthday is July 23rd and we are looking forward to the 6th annual birthday celebration in honor and memory of Tywanza on July 24th, also hosted here at Second Presbyterian Church. Sign up now to join this year’s #Race 4 Wanza Doughnut Dash 5K on August 28th at 9am. You can support the Tywanza Sanders Legacy Foundation even from afar through donation or purchasing an item through their online store. Or better yet, buy this year’s “ENOUGH is enough!” T-shirt and wear it in solidarity at Tywanza’s annual birthday celebration.
