Zenobia Dobson stood tall between her sons, Zackelyn and Markastin Taylor, and addressed a crowd of thousands at the 2016 ESPY award ceremony on the night of July 13th. The family was accepting the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage on behalf of their late brother, Zaevion.
On December 17th of last year, Zaevion’s life was cut tragically short when he was shot and killed on the front porch of his home in Knoxville, Tennessee.
What makes Zaevion’s death all the more heartbreaking is the fact that he died saving the lives of two girls.
“It’s hard to pay that back,” said Faith Gordon, one of the girls Zaevion had rescued.
Zaevion was a well-respected member of the Lonsdale community in Knoxville, where he grew up in a household with one parent and two older brothers. The eldest of the three siblings, Markastin, did everything in his power to make sure that his younger brothers did not make the same mistakes he once made.
“…I always told him, ‘just because we live in this environment, you don’t have to be of the environment,’” Markastin remembers. “You can be different. You can stand out.”
Zaevion took this advice to heart and became a well-known defensive football player at Fulton high school. Football was something of a family affair for the Dobson brothers: Zackelyn played for offense—on the same team as Zaevion.
Indeed, Zaevion and Zackelyn shared a special bond. They were best friends who did just about everything together. Be it going to school or to church or simply hanging out, the Dobson brothers were inseparable.
All of Zaevion’s teammates considered him family as well, the go-to guy who would always be there for them.
And he was, until the very end.
The unprecedented impact that Zaevion Dobson left behind is evident in the official police report delivered by Knoxville Chief of Police David Rausch. Rausch broke down in tears as he announced the tragic death of Dobson.
“To have a fifteen-year-old do that type of act,” Rausch reflects, “and without the type of training that we’ve had…that’s extraordinary.”
It was clear this young man had died a noble death, and it eventually grabbed the attention of our nation’s president.
“Zaevion gave his life to save someone else’s,” Said Obama. “What’s our excuse for not acting?”
Zaevion Dobson bestowed his courage unto his mother Zenobia when his life ended. Zenobia showed her bravery when she addressed the misty-eyed ESPY awards audience. Rather than reminisce about the incredible legacy her son had created, Ms. Dobson declared the time has come for us as a nation to take action against gun control.
“I urge you to think tonight about why he died or what you can do tomorrow to prevent the next innocent young man or woman from being lost as well,” Zenobia was given a standing ovation afterwards.
The Zaevion Dobson story can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFRGM15ABaE
