College Freshman Receives Jovita Moore HBCU Scholarship

Joi Ector attends Southern University and A&M College.

Joi Ector, a freshman at Southern University and A&M College, received the Jovita Moore HBCU Scholarship, distributed by the Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta, on August 3. Moore, a longtime news anchor in the city, died from brain cancer in October 2021.

The Jaguar Foundation started the scholarship in honor of Moore, who was an advisory board member of the organization. The WSB-TV primetime anchor also used to host the nonprofit’s Annual Achievement Awards for nearly a decade, where the newest recipient was announced. Moore’s former colleague, Channel 2’s Tom Jones, emceed this year’s event.

The Jaguar Foundation of Atlanta has continued to uplift and support HBCU students from the Atlanta area. Its scholarship, established in 2023, extends to other undergraduate students within the Atlanta University Center.

In the months prior to her death, Moore shed light on her health journey through her role in local news. She revealed her glioblastoma diagnosis, the most common brain cancer, after having two masses surgically removed from her brain in April 2021. The incurable disease cannot be inherited and is not triggered by certain diets or lifestyles. The only treatment is to stop its progression.

Moore, who began working for WSB-TV in 1998, became a trustworthy source of information for many in the Atlanta area. Her efforts to support the Black community extended to her philanthropic endeavors, which included serving on the board of directors for the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Before her death, Moore urged all to check in on their health and wellness. Her advocacy is significantly relevant to Black individuals. According to the National Brain Tumor Society, Black people have “slightly higher incidence rates of primary brain tumors” as opposed to other races.