A.J. Cooper, a former host of BET’s Teen Summit and a rising political star in Washington, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 34.
Cooper, who was also known as “Jay,” hosted Teen Summit first when he was a student at Washington’s Roosevelt High School and continuing while in college. Although he shed his signature locs a long time ago, he lost none of the charm that viewers remember nor did he abandon his passion of doing more for the city he loved.
According to a Washington Post report, Cooper served in the U.S. Marines and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2009. At that time, Cooper was the policy director for the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Following in the footsteps of his father, Algernon Johnson Cooper, the first Black mayor of Pritchard, Ala., the younger Cooper dipped his toe in the politics pool. While he didn’t win the at-large council seat he was going for, Cooper left quite an impression on Washington’s political elite.
After the recent election cycle and the election of incoming mayor Muriel E. Bowser, Cooper announced plans to run for Bowser’s vacated Ward 4 council seat. Cooper was often seen around town and most especially in the ward he hoped to represent for photo opportunities and to connect with potential voters. Cooper was also engaged last week to Ryan Palmer last week according to a family statement on his Facebook campaign page.
An active voice for justice across his social media channels, Cooper tweeted about the recent events in Ferguson and kept his followers updated on happenings in Ward 4.
Just this past Monday, Cooper helped to organize a protest at the Justice Department regarding the Ferguson grand jury’s decision to not indict Darren Wilson, and was at another event the night before he died. Washington Post columnist Clinton Yates, who became friends with Cooper when they were in elementary school, fondly wrote about Cooper’s ambitions which also included his Freedom Farms urban farming effort.
Rest In Power, A.J. Cooper.
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Photo: Facebook
