Story and Photos by Daelyn House Data News Weekly Contributor
Friends and well-wishers celebrated the life of Caleb Wilson, 20, a beloved student of Southern University and A&M College, who tragically passed away following a hazing incident on Feb. 27th. Caleb, known for his warm personality, charisma, and musical talents as a member of Southern’s Human Jukebox, had a strong impact on his community in his short life, his friends shared as they gathered with his family to honor the Slidell, La. native at Xavier University of Louisiana’s Chapel on March 9, 2025.
“To know Caleb was to know love,” said Rev. Dr. Mitchell Stevens, the Interfaith Chaplain for the Office of Campus Ministry at Xavier. Stevens, who shared that he was still reeling from Caleb’s death, led the community service, having served as the family’s pastor for over 20 years, Stevens shared that he was quite familiar with Caleb and his family and spoke highly of Caleb during the service and the type of person he was to those he loved.
“I call him a bright light. He always had a smile on his face. Loved to have fun and was just a great, great person. Great, great person,” said Stevens as he comforted Caleb’s parents Corey Wilson and Urania Wilson who attended the service.
“He always had a smile on his face and wanted to put smiles on others’ faces,” Urania Wilson said at the service. “What you do today can affect you tomorrow. You drop your kid off to school expecting them to learn and be able to come back to you.”
The nature of Wilson’s death attracted national headlines and debate among members of the Historically Black Divine 9 Sororities and Fraternities. Baton Rouge law enforcement have identified the cause of death as the result of several punches to the chest as part of the hazing practice. Only one suspect has been arrested so far in the incident, however Wilson’s family wanted to remember his spirit, as students, faculty, and staff of several local universities wanted to come to terms with his untimely death.
“All I could think about was to let the family know, let his friends know that it is okay,” said Xavier student Nyla Brownridge, who led a prayer on his behalf during the service.
“The battle is the Lord’s. It’s not yours. God has plans for us, and those plans were not to harm us but for us to prosper,” Brownridge said, offering comfort and strength through faith to family members and friends.
Local students said they wanted to pay their respects and show support to the family as they felt deeply affected by his passing.
“To be able to have the community to pray with, and to hold hands with, and to talk with, and to celebrate someone’s life is very heartwarming. But it is very emotional. It takes a toll on someone to lose a life, to be heartbroken by a life loss,” Brownridge said.
Terrol Perkins shared that he met Caleb through a mutual friend at church, and he remembered his kindness and was struggling to process the tragic loss.
“I was devastated. To put it lightly, I was speechless. I didn’t even think it was real at first. It took a couple of days to resonate with me that he was gone,” Perkins said.
As students and local HBCU campuses pick up the pieces from the tragedy, students say they hope his passing will not be in vain and will be an opportunity for positive change in his honor.
“I hope that his legacy is one in which we as a community, through his name and through what happened to him, stop this ongoing practice and just work together to build and foster brotherhood and sisterhood in different and productive ways. This practice must be stopped,” Perkins said.
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