Why we exist...
Our
Story
Over one hundred years ago, John "Jack" Trice lost his life to racially motivated events when he was 21. We will never know what he would have accomplished in his life, but his goal after earning his degree was to return to the South to teach former slaves the skills of sharecropping. This was important to earn a better wage and create a better life for themselves.
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John was far from home and found himself in a new world, and navigating would be challenging. He believed that family, community, and education (and not in that order) were his pillars.
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While we can only gather bits and pieces from various accounts, interactions, and letters after his death, it is up to us to complete his vision in our own way.
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This is why members of his bloodline created the Trice Legacy Foundation. 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 we see today.
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Too many students – especially students of color – lack the resources and support to pursue a legacy of service. We inspire students through the Jack Trice story and its powerful questions: What are the big things I could do with my life? How will I do more than my part in the world? What could I do to bring honor to my race, my family, and myself? Then we offer scholarships, grants, and mentorship to help them realize their own legacy of service.