Giving Back

By USC Athletics Black History Month

February 25^th, 2021

USC Athletics alumni have gone on to make waves in the NFL, NBA and other professional sports leagues. But in some cases, what the athletes do in the community is just as impressive as what they do for their sport.

USC football alum Lawrence Jackson played in the NFL from 2008-13 and since retiring, he’s dedicated his life to serving the community.

Jackson’s goal is straightforward, but getting there takes a lot of work.

“I’m committed to eradicating poverty in Black America and urban America,” Jackson said. “In order to do those things, I personally don’t have the liberty to be fixated on one particular solution.”

So Jackson splits his time working with multiple different foundations with different causes that all come together to tackle systematic inequality.

Jackson works with The Torch Foundation’s Mobile Torch initiative to address food insecurity in Los Angeles and Michigan (where he previously played for the Detroit Lions). The Mobile Torch food truck has given away hundreds of servings of food over the last four weeks.

Jackson is also the chair of Inglewood Active Communities, an American Heart Association program funded by the NFL Foundation. Before the COVID-19 crisis, the organization was mostly dedicated to promoting physical health, but it has shifted to address mental health and food insecurity during the pandemic, and has partnered with Mobile Torch to give away bags of produce and flowers.

Jackson is also involved in The Torch Foundation’s Torch 180 initiative, a workplace development platform in Michigan for people with cognitive disabilities (mainly autism). The organization trains people to work in a restaurant, which Jackson helps set the menu for. Jackson also leads a weekly developmental mentorship class where he teaches the participants productivity tips and life skills.

Jackson also works with The Limitless Initiative’s urban STEM program, running robotics competitions and the like for students in inner city LA.

All of Jackson’s initiatives fall under The Global Goals 2030 framework, which Jackson encourages people to read up on and find ways to support.

“A lot of people just don’t know that this roadmap is out there to eliminate poverty, food insecurity and systematic inequality.”

On campus, Jackson chair of the USC Black Alumni Association Young Professionals Group, inspiring the next generation of Trojans to make the same impact.

Here are some more USC alums making a difference in the world:

ZACH BANNER

USC football alum Zach Banner created the B3 Foundation to empower student leaders in under-resourced communities through mentorship, scholarship and community engagement. Each fall, the B3 Foundation outfits schoolchildren in Tacoma, Wash. (Banner’s hometown), Los Angeles and Guam (where Banner’s mother was born) with custom backpacks full of school supplies and other gifts. Banner has also recently become an outspoken advocate for the Jewish community. This February, he participated in an “Athletes Against Antisemitism” panel. Banner’s foundation also recently donated funds to organizations in Texas to deal with the aftermath of the winter storm.

JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER

USC football alum JuJu Smith-Schuster established The JuJu Foundation to support youth initiatives and lift the spirits of those in need. During the 2020 Christmas season, the foundation provided more than $20,000 in Walmart gift cards to kids in Pittsburgh, where Smith-Schuster plays for the Steelers. The foundation also paid off over $25,000 worth of Christmas gifts and essentials to families in Pittsburgh and Compton, Calif.

DEVON KENNARD

USC football alum Devon Kennard was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his work in the community in Detroit, where he played for the Lions from 2018-19. Kennard partnered with the Midnight Golf Program, a mentorship program that teaches kids how to play golf but also helps prepare students for college. Kennard has continued his philanthropic work in Arizona, where he now plays for his hometown team, the Cardinals. He and his father recently hosted a Black History Month Zoom discussion on the power of mentoring.

ANTWAUN WOODS

USC football alum Antwaun Woods created The Woods Legacy Foundation to support single parent households and at-risk youth through educational workshops, mentorship programs and resource-driven opportunities. Woods hosts annual Thanksgiving food and Christmas toy giveaways in both his hometown of Los Angeles and Dallas, where he currently plays for the Cowboys.

JURRELL CASEY

USC football alum Jurrell Casey established The Casey Fund to address the needs of at-risk youth and formerly incarcerated individuals in Denver (where he now plays for the Broncos), Nashville (where he used to play for the Titans) and his hometown of Long Beach, Calif. In 2020, The Casey Fund provided hundreds of students in Colorado with computers and stable internet connections to help them navigate school during COVID-19. Casey also paid all the registration fees for a local youth football league. In LA, Casey’s foundation provided bagged lunch and hand sanitizer kits to people on Skid Row. Casey was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2018 and 2016.

UCHENNA NWOSU

USC football alum Uchenna Nwosu has spent his whole life in LA and is dedicated to giving back to the community. The Chargers linebacker was nominated for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2019 after dedicating himself to multiple causes. Like Casey, Nwosu paid the registration fees for a local flag football team and coached them to the championship game. He also donated gaming consoles, TVs and speaker systems to the patients at a local hospital. Nwosu has also partnered with the Children's Diabetes Foundation on multiple occasions, as he has multiple family members who deal with the disease.

TAJ GIBSON

USC men’s basketball alum and New York City native Taj Gibson created the Taj Gibson Foundation to provide resources and inspiration to the youth of NYC to help keep them healthy and to help them reach their full potential in life. Gibson’s foundation refurbished a basketball court in the Ingersoll Houses, where he grew up. The foundation also provided meals to NYCHA workers at a lunch at the Ingersoll Houses. Gibson helped organize an anti-gun violence rally in Brooklyn in summer 2020. He continues to give back to the community in New York, where he currently plays for the Knicks.