Jelani Day
Thursday (Nov 5) afternoon in the Danville High School Fieldhouse, for the fourth year and once again on the first Thursday in November, the Jelani Day Foundation hosted the Central Illinois HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Fair. And once again leading the Foundation’s mission: Jelani Day’s mom Carmen Bolden Day, and his brother Deandre Day.
In 2021, after completing his undergrad years at Alabama A&M, DHS graduate Jelani Day disappeared from Illinois State University, where he was a 25-year-old grad student. Jelani’s body was found weeks later, far north of the ISU campus, in the Illinois River. The case remains unsolved.
Carmen Bolden Day says the Jelani Day Foundation continues to build its pillars, with a wide mission of what they want to do for students building their lives, as well as for families that might need help.
AUDIO: Which are going to include therapy, which is going to also include us having resources for missing brown and black men; which is also going to include for us having respite for women. Or even for grieving families in general, that’s what we’re raising the money for; for the Foundation be a help in assisting those areas, for families that are going through anything that we had to endure.
Students from DHS and around the area were once again all over, and Jelani’s brother Deandre Day says it’s been wonderful to stay in touch with students who made connections at this HBCU Fair, and are now attending one of the schools. Deandre says additional HBCU schools have come aboard each year, and students who have their paperwork all in line can actually apply and enroll right at the fair. He says it’s called being “on the spot,” and ready to go.
AUDIO: We had about five new additions this year. We have Spelman College, Mercy University; we also have Howard that this year came. We have Morgan State coming back with us; Lane College is also here. And there are many students “on the spot” this year. Once they have transcripts as seniors; they come in, and get admitted “on the spot” by that university.
At the time of his disappearance and death, Jelani Day was studying to be a speech pathologist. He valued being able to communicate, and wanted to help others communicate. Carmen Bolden Day says a required choice of “this one or that one” was established for her kids at home, by both she and their father.
AUDIO: He was a stickler for the education. You know, we gave them two choices; you could either go to college, or you could go into the military. All five of them chose college. All five of them graduated from college. Two of them have their Masters; Jelani was pursuing his, my other two right now are pursuing theirs. I have one who is pursuing their doctorate, so I’m very proud of them.
Thursday’s Jelani Day Foundation Central Illinois HBCU College Fair in the DHS Fieldhouse ran from 4:30 to 6:30.
