On Cyber Monday, Amazon shifted the focus from massive deals to massive impact. In an exclusive partnership with Move-In-Day Mafia, the retail giant opened the doors of its Amazon Robotics Fulfillment Center to two Atlanta-area HBCU students for an intimate presentation centered on giving back. Instead of only pushing discounts, Amazon used one of the biggest retail days of the year to honor students who have navigated instability, foster care, financial hardship, and new beginnings as they pursue their college dreams.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
The students received essential items, laptops, cookware, dishes, Beats headphones, and more, pulled directly from Amazon’s Cyber Monday deals. The company also surprised Move-In-Day Mafia with a $10,000 donation to continue supporting HBCU scholars across the country.
What unfolded was a morning filled with gratitude, vulnerability, and the reminder that community care can shift the trajectory of a student’s life.
A Partnership With Purpose, Not Just Promotion
Public relations manager and Amazon spokesperson Shemeeka Johnson said the shift toward a community-centered Cyber Monday was intentional.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
“I think that it is a lot going on in the world right now,” Johnson said. “We are excited to celebrate Cyber Monday, but in Atlanta specifically, I thought this would be a good opportunity to show love to organizations that are really doing the work all year long.”
After witnessing Amazon’s earlier collaboration with Move In Day Mafia during fall move-in, Johnson saw an opportunity to scale that support.
“When I started browsing some of the items already on sale for Cyber Monday, I saw that a lot of those items were household items, electronics, and things that I remember needing critically at the beginning of my own college journey,” she said. “It just seemed like a really good fit.”
She personally curated the list.
“I really just kind of put myself back in the shoes of a college student and some of the things that I would want if I could create a wish list,” she said.
Meet the Scholars: Stories of Strength
Amazon and Move-In-Day Mafia surprised four Atlanta area HBCU students with Cyber Monday essentials and a check presentation that felt more like a celebration of their resilience than a retail event. On site, I had the chance to speak with two of the four students in person, watching them interact with their gifts in real time, trying on headphones, picking up cookware, and taking in the moment with genuine excitement.
They were smiling, grateful, full of life, yet strikingly candid about the challenges they have fought through to get to this point. What could have been a simple donation quickly became something much deeper, a reminder that someone sees them, believes in them, and is committed to walking with them on their college journey.
Below are the stories of the two scholars I connected with face to face, both offering honesty, hope, and a window into why support like this matters.
Azaria’s Journey, From Uncertainty to Unshakeable Support
When Spelman first-year economics major Azaria Parker arrived on campus, she carried more than a ten-thousand-dollar financial balance and a lifetime of learning how to survive without real support.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
“In my life, I haven’t had a lot of people who actually tried to help me and want me to succeed,” she said. “I was scared, thinking, what are their intentions, are they going to go all out or do the bare minimum.”
Move-In-Day Mafia changed that the moment she opened her dorm room door.
“I walked into my room like wow,” Parker said. “It wasn’t the room that made me feel happy, it was the thought and feeling that someone actually cared enough to do this.”
Standing beside Amazon’s Cyber Monday display, Azaria glowed as she held her new Beats headphones.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
“I haven’t had essentials growing up,” she said. “The fact that I have them now, I’m truly grateful.”
Because Move In Day Mafia consistently sent scholarships her way, Azaria shared she no longer has to pay for this school year or next.
Her message for younger girls,
“When you come across people willing to help, take it all in. Don’t be afraid to fall. When you fall, you have people right there to pick you back up.”
Jeremy’s Story, Grief, Grit, and a Room Full of Hope
Morehouse junior business administration major Jeremy Avon spoke with a calm steadiness shaped by real-life challenges.
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“My mom passed a little before I entered college,” he said. “I didn’t really receive any support financially and I had to fend for myself.”
Receiving Move-In-Day Mafia’s support, both financially and emotionally, shifted everything for him.
“It feels like someone cares,” he told me. “Calling me, checking up on me, even making sure that I got here today. It is a beautiful experience to be part of something that actually cares about you as an individual and not just another statistic.”
During the event, I watched Jeremy examine the Cyber Monday essentials with quiet joy. For him, these items were not small conveniences, but reminders that people believed in his journey.
His advice for others working toward their goals,
“Whatever you want to do in life, go for it with an iron fist and a head full of determination. Don’t let no one tell you no.”
A Mission Born From Pain, Pandemic Loss, and a Life-Changing Testimony
Logistics coordinator and design assistant Mina Starks shared that Move-In-Day Mafia was born in 2020 during the pandemic.
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Founder T.J. Mercer hosted a virtual bingo game for HBCU students whose graduations were canceled, ultimately giving away more than one million dollars in cash and prizes.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
The turning point came when student Deschante Rowe revealed that after aging out of foster care, her social worker dropped her off at college with her belongings on the curb and left.
“That forced us to pay attention and educate ourselves on that demographic,” Starks said. “It is a whole group that gets lost in the mix.”
More Than Makeovers: Why Essentials Matter for HBCU Students
Move-In-Day Mafia provides,
Dorm room makeovers
Monthly care packages
Mentorship
Scholarship information
Essentials tailored to each student’s real needs
Starks said many students have been conditioned to simply accept whatever they can get.
“With this demographic, a lot of them have been told to be happy with what they got,” she said. “But what if deodorant does not work, what if you never had your own room before, what if maxi pads were a luxury you never had. We want these students to know their needs matter.”
The organization now serves one hundred nine students across twenty-eight HBCUs, including Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta, Prairie View, Savannah State, and Albany State.
Amazon Steps In, A Corporation That Chose Care Over Clicks
The partnership began when Amazon representative Terita Rogers reached out with a donation.
Source: Amazon / Amazon
“I met her in a parking lot,” Starks said. “Most of our shopping, at least ninety nine percent, comes from Amazon. They wanted to get involved and really help us.”
Amazon then supported Move In Day Mafia during the twenty-five move-in seasons with volunteers, logistics support, and hands-on help.
“They were competing on who could get the room done the fastest,” Starks said. “Team Amazon all the way.”
Cyber Monday With a Conscience
“These are our future leaders,” Johnson said. “Our company is made of strong Black leaders across departments. Pouring into students at the early touch points of their careers is critical.”
She added,
“I really do think it takes a village. We are excited to be part of that village.”
How You Can Join the Movement, From Donor to Day One Supporter
Move-In-Day Mafia is currently striving to reach one thousand monthly donors.
“There is something for everybody,” Starks said. “Our Mafia group is growing tremendously, and watching it go from an idea to this is amazing.”
