By Olivia Visnic
The University of Maryland’s Media, Self and Society Scholars program welcomed Dawn Collins, the mother of Lt. Richard W. Collins III, on Oct. 7 to speak with students.
On May 20, 2017, former UMD student Sean Urbanski killed Lt. Richard W. Collins III, a Bowie State University student who was waiting for a ride-share at the Shuttle-UM bus stop near Montgomery Hall.
“I am not an activist, I am just a mom with a broken heart,” Collins said.
Since their son’s death, Dawn and Richard Collins founded the 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III Foundation, which invests in education, leadership and social justice by offering ROTC scholarships, mentorships and programs that promote understanding – particularly among students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Their advocacy also led to the passage of the “2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III Law” which expands Maryland’s hate-crime protections to include offenses motivated “in whole or in substantial part” by factors such as race, religion, gender or sexuality.
Dawn Collins worked with UMD President Daryll J. Pines in the creation of her son’s memorial on the UMD campus and was selected by former President Joe Biden to take part in the United We Stand Summit at the White House in 2022.
At the question and answer session, Collins shared experiences of grief, advocacy and frustration with the media’s coverage of her son’s murder.
She told students that when the story first appeared in the media, many posts and reports, while not explicitly named, failed to recognize Lt. Collins by his proper title of “Lieutenant,” but instead referred to him as a “cadet” or gave him no title at all.
“They [the media] were just calling him an ROTC member in the news instead of lieutenant, and Mrs. Collins just wanted it to be a more accurate story and wanted her son to get the respect he deserved,” Jason Gue, a freshman Media Scholar enrolled in the letters and sciences program, said. “It was more a factor of disrespect and seemed like people were trying to get the news out quickly rather than accurately, which left out important details like this.”
“He did go through all the training to earn that title, and he was named a lieutenant. She simply wanted him to be represented as that in the media,” Gue added.
Students also watched a documentary, titled “Rich with Love: A Mini-Documentary on 1st Lt. Richard W. Collins III.” The documentary featured interviews with Lt. Richard W. Collins III’s parents and provided more information on the subject.
“In Media Scholars, we spend a lot of time analyzing the societal impacts of media narratives, and this week it was a deeply personal lesson,” Alison Burns, director of the Media Scholars program, said.
Journalism students who attended the session felt they learned the importance of fair and accurate journalism.
“It made me tell myself simply to stick to the truth, and made me think that before I write any news, I need a full, clear understanding of what is going on to avoid writing something inaccurate,” Max DiFabio, a freshman journalism major and media scholar, said.
Burns emphasized the lasting impact of the discussion, stating, “Our primary goal is for every student to know the name Lt. Collins and to think very thoughtfully about the type of campus they want to have and actions they can take to build empathy and work across differences.”
Featured Image: Richard and Dawn Collins visit Plaza on UMD Campus Honoring 1st Lt. Richard W. Collins III. Photo courtesy of John. T Consoli.