“It was Anna Cockrell who initiated a lot of this, and I look up to her, not only as an athlete, but what she has done for the Black community on this campus and founding the UBSAA,” Jackson said.
In 2020, USC’s student-athletes were stuck in their homes like everybody else and removed from the daily grind of a student-athlete’s life, which leaves little room for anything outside of training and academics. Social justice issues filled social media timelines, so Cockrell and company had no issues engaging their fellow Black student-athletes and allies in this discussion.
“Post-Covid, we needed to reinvigorate that same spirit and awareness that UBSAA initially had,” Jackson said. “That has definitely been one of our biggest challenges. It is 2023 and just because [racial injustice] is not on the news and in your face and on social media does not mean that there are not still issues that exist. The student-athlete schedule is brutal to the mind and body, so participation has been one of our biggest challenges because when you are exhausted, do you want to come hang out and learn what we’ve provided for our Black History Month events?”
To do so, UBSAA will refocus its attention on community and connection. That’s really what Jackson took away from the BSA Summit - the comfort and inspiration of being around Black Student-Athletes who understood her problems and perspective.
“We’re trying to do our best so that you don’t see it as a task, you see it as a second family,” Jackson said about the mission of the UBSAA. “We want to be that person you call or that group or community you feel seen in. Bring that feeling back to campus. Once you’ve felt that, you want to share it.”
At the Black Student-Athlete Summit, Jackson was inspired by conversations that covered the breadth of the Black student-athlete experience from dealing with microaggressions to social media marketing, financial literacy, dancing, identity, intersectionality and going to college at predominantly white institutions. The UBSAA is hoping to format its meeting and event schedule around similar themes and build the bonds created by sharing one’s personal experiences with an understanding group.
And beyond athletics, the UBSAA wants to connect to the greater campus of USC. They are now holding joint meetings with the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs (CBCSA), hoping to build a bridge from the Black student-athletes to the Black student population.
To be clear, the UBSAA has not lost its roots and will continue to hold the athletic department to task whenever an issue arises, but they have built a strong partnership with Mike Bohn, the USC athletic administration, and have the support of athletic advisors Joyce Bell Limbrick, Alan Green, Mariah Boyd and Julie Rousseau.
“We have an amazing relationship with the athletic department,” said Jackson. “They are more than open and willing to hearing us. The biggest thing is we have a forum. We have a space where we can go to them with X, Y and Z. They will listen to each and every article we bring up.”
As always though, the proof is in the action not the words, and that’s where Jackson sees the real progress. Sending a large group to Houston and now hosting the Black Student-Athlete Summit demonstrates how important these issues are to Dr. Carol Folt, Mike Bohn, and the entire USC community.
“The willingness and openness to listen, and not only listen but put actionable items behind it is beyond me. It’s really a blessing,” Jackson said. “That mutual respect is the foundation of our relationship.”
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