Black Greekdom Mourns The Death of Alpha Phi Alpha’s Dorian Jackson

Black Greekdom is mourning the loss of Dorian Jackson, a 21-year-old senior at North Carolina A&T State University and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., who died on Saturday, September 19, after saving his sister from drowning during a kayaking trip on Lake Norman.

According to WBTV, wildlife officers were called to the scene near Hearthstone Court in Terrell, North Carolina, around 7 p.m. that evening. Investigators said Jackson’s sister had capsized her kayak about 30 yards from a nearby dock and was struggling in the water. Jackson paddled to her and pulled her onto his own kayak. She was wearing a life jacket. He was not.

Neighbors entered the water and brought his sister safely to shore, but Jackson was lost beneath the water during the rescue. Crews from multiple agencies searched through the night and recovered his body the following afternoon.

Jackson was a third-generation Aggie and the eldest of eight children. In a letter to families shared by WBTV, North Carolina A&T State University said he was studying marketing with a concentration in sales and had already accepted a position with Wells Fargo after graduation. On campus, he was a student leader in every sense, serving in the Honors College, the Student Government Association, and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund program.

He was also a brother of Alpha Phi Alpha, initiated in 2024 through the Beta Epsilon Chapter at North Carolina A&T. In a statement, the fraternity honored the courage he showed in his final moments.

“Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. remembers and recognizes the heroism of our late Brother Dorian Jackson, a 2024 Beta Epsilon Chapter initiate at North Carolina A&T University, who was killed after saving his sister’s life when her kayak capsized in North Carolina.”

The men of Alpha Phi Alpha are guided by the aims of manly deeds, scholarship, and love for all mankind. Jackson carried all three. He was a scholar with a bright career ahead of him, a leader trusted by his peers, and a big brother who did not hesitate when his sister needed him. His family has lost a beloved son. The Aggie family has lost one of its own.

“Our heartfelt prayers and condolences are with his family and friends,” the university wrote in its letter to families, according to WBTV.

Watch The Yard extends its deepest condolences to the Jackson family, the brothers of the Beta Epsilon Chapter and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the entire North Carolina A&T community. May he rest in peace.