Dawn Collins
Co-Founder and President, 2LT Richard W. Collins III Foundation
2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Since 2017, when her son, 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III, was violently murdered in an unprovoked attack on the University of Maryland, College Park campus, Mrs. Dawn Collins has been a leader in the fight against hate crimes.
Mrs. Collins and her husband, Richard Collins Jr., established The 2Lt Richard W. Collins III Foundation (the Foundation) to honor their son. The Foundation goals are twofold: 1) to provide ROTC scholarships to students attending historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the State of Maryland along with the executive development programs and resources required for their long-term success 2) work within the education system to deploy programs – at every level – that develop mutual understanding, encourage respectful dialogue, and root out the scourge of hate.
The catalytic power of this Summit in bringing together those who are devoting their lives to pushing back and working to confront, understand and work towards solutions around hate in our society is a noble and difficult task. The Summit not only energized those who attended but led to connecting the dots in a global network of those doing this work. The stories of the victims of hate were painful to witness but their courage in coming forward was inspirational. Those who attended left energized with the hope that by working together solutions can be forged.
