the reason...

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This foundation is dedicated to the son, brother, uncle, soulmate and friend Panayotis (Panago) Alexandrous Horton. Who was an Epilepsy warrior taken from us by sepsis on August 22, 2017. In 2012 he began his service with AmeriCorps creating an after school program at Jason Lee Middle School, where we now donate our Back-To-School Supply Drive materials to. Many people remember Panago for his fierce passion for humanity which fuels the work we continue to do today to ensure his legacy lives on and is never forgotten. Outspoken on political, religious and social issues; he was never afraid to challenge the status quo. Despite the mass amount of oppression in the world he still remained hopeful that progress in people and places could change for the better. He was an activist and community advocate. He believed in the mission and values of the Movement for Black Lives. Those values live on through our work to build equity for the students and folk Panago loves.

 
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[If] my niece and my nephew are seen; as sweet as they are and as much as I love them and know that they’re good people, they could be seen as a threat simply because they’re black.
— Panago
 
Racism isn’t [just] lynching and saying ‘White Power’, it’s operating in this system like it’s working equally for everyone when it’s... clear that it’s not.
— Panago
 
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Panago immigrated to the U.S. from Greece alongside his older brother LeRoy and mother Georgia. The three of them leaned on one another through all their trials. They represented this bond through a matching tattoo each of them have-- a three linked chain. (A poem written by Panago his first year of college at PLU can be found here where he mentions his family, where they came from and how it has made him who he is). Prior to PLU he attended school throughout graduation from Wilson High School. He grew up playing basketball and working out at the Morgan Family YMCA. He spent his AmeriCorps years giving back to local schools in Tacoma and met his soulmate at a coffee shop on N. 30th St. near Ruston Way. He planned on raising his family there as well. His love for the place he called home is why we have chosen to be a Tacoma-based and Tacoma-focused foundation that continues to work towards building equity for students.

 
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I feel very privileged because I grew up in a town in which I would say tries to promote diversity ... but I’ve still experienced massive amounts of discrimination and racism.
— Panago
 
 

In the end: "Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone."- Mitch AlBOM

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