On March 10, students adorned in yellow flitted about Kempsville High School. Posts and messages encouraging students to wear the color with pride decorated Instagram feeds. Just three days prior, the Kempsville High School Black Student Union, or BSU, made it their mission to spread the word: “Wear yellow for AJ.” 

Ashley James, called AJ, is a former basketball player for Green Run High School, recently passed away on March 2.  He graduated in 2019, was #10, and played the position of guard. To honor his memory, the BSU urged students to wear yellow to school on Tuesday.

“Kempsville High School Black Student Union stands with Green Run,” they said on their Instagram account, @bsuchiefs. “Wear yellow for AJ #10.”

“Green Run used yellow ribbons to support the loss of AJ, so we decided to just support Green Run in the color that they chose,” says Kim Nurse, a supervisor to the BSU.

Students across the Virginia Beach area came together in remembrance of James’s life. The BSU made sure Kempsville High School showed homage to his legacy.