
The honor of my race, family, and self are at stake. Everyone is expecting me to do big things. I will!
John "Jack" Trice
100 years ago, Jack Trice lost his life to racially motivated events, he was 21. We will never know what he would have accomplished in his life, but his goal after obtaining his degree was to go back to the south so that he could teach former slaves the skill of sharecropping. This was important so that they could earn a better wage and create a better life for themselves.
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Jack was far from home, an found himself in a whole new world and navigating would be a challenge. He had the belief that family, community, and education (and not in that order) were the pillars of himself.
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While we can only gather bits and pieces from various accounts, interactions and letters post his death, it is up to us to complete his vision, but in our own way.
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This is the reason that the Trice Legacy Foundation was created by members of his bloodline. The story of Jack gained its visibility and national attention at Iowa State University (formerly Ames College) but goes way further than that. The old saying, “what got you here, won’t get you there” fits Jack and the legacy that we see today. Jack ended up at Ames College because is high school football coach brought Jack, along with 5 of his teammates, to Iowa.
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And that is where we will build…
* The Trice Legacy Foundation is run and managed by family members of Jack Trice.
We are not affiliated with Iowa State University