Category Archives: Social Justice

NFL 360: The LA Marathon: Nipsey Hussle wins 2020 Webby Award

06 Tuesday Oct 2020

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The Marathon Most Definitely Continues

Contact: Denise Gilley, The Webby Awards, Phone: (212) 675-3555, (denise@webbyawards.com)            

PRESS RELEASE

  NFL 360:  The LA Marathon:  Nipsey Hussle wins 2020 Webby Award DeSean Jackson, Producer

Los Angeles, CA 

The Marathon Most Definitely Continues

NFL 360: The LA Marathon: Nipsey Hussle , featuring Philadelphia Eagle, DeSean Jackson, was named the best 2020 Social (Sports) Video, during the 24th Annual Webby Awards.  The video was developed by the NFL Network, and narrated and produced by DeSean Jackson, who grew up in South Central LA with Ermias Ashedom (a/k/a Nipsey Hussle) an entrepreneur, rapper and social activist, whose assassination sparked an international movement for social justice. 

“The NFL Network and DeSean Jackson have set the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, Executive Director, of The Webby Awards. “This award is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators.”

The video tops the shortlist for International Awards Honoring the Best of the Internet.  Out of 13,000 entries from all 50 U.S. States and 70+ countries, and 2.5 million votes cast by 600,000 people in the Webby People’s Voice Awards—the 24th Annual Webby Awards is one of the biggest in its history.

The Webby Award is hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by the New York Times. The award was presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) and is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet.  IADAS, which nominates and selects The Webby Award Winners, is comprised of digital industry experts, including Instagram’s Instagram’s Head of Fashion Partnerships, Eva Chen, Director of Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, Susan P. Crawford, actor; and, activist Jesse Williams, GE CMO, Linda Boff, Pod Save the People, host and activist DeRay Mckesson, Google’s Head of Conversation Design, Cathy Pearl, Fortnite Designer, Eric Williamson, HBO Digital Chief, Diane Tryneski, Los Angeles Laker, Isaiah Thomas, and DDB Worldwide ,CEO Wendy Clark.

ABOUT WINNER

Recognitions

2020

Webby Winner

Social
Sports (Video) 2020

Title

NFL 360: The LA Marathon: Nipsey Hussle

The work is listed on our Winners Gallery here:  https://winners.webbyawards.com/2020/social/social-video/sports-video/123295/nfl-360-the-la-marathon-nipsey-hussle

Also, the work is listed on our Winners Gallery here:  https://winners.webbyawards.com/2020/social/social-video/sports-video/123295/nfl-360-the-la-marathon-nipsey-hussle

Entrant

NFL Network

Team

Dallas Hitchcock
Sr. Coordinating Producer
NFL Network

Anthony Smith
Producer, Director
NFL Network

Mike Derouin
Coordinating Producer
NFL Network

Ryan Travis
Director of Photography
NFL Network

Dakota Diel
Cinematographer
NFL Network

John Orfanopoulos
Editor
NFL Network

DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles, All Pro Wide Receiver
Producer

Byron Jackson, Sports Rhythm, Inc.
Producer

Julian Gooden
Story Producer
NFL Network

Jake Albrecht
Cinematographer

Find The Webby Awards Online:

Website: webbyawards.com
Instagram: @TheWebbyAwards
Twitter: @TheWebbyAwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/TheWebbyAwards
YouTube: youtube.com/webby
Snapchat: TheWebbyAwards

About The Webby Awards:

Hailed as the “Internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Video, Advertising, Media & PR, Apps, Mobile, and Voice, Social, Podcasts, and Games. Established in 1996, this year’s Webby Awards received nearly 13,000 entries from all 50 states and 70 countries worldwide.

The Webby Awards are presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS). Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: WP Engine, Monday.com, Slack, YouGov, BASIC, KPMG, Adweek, Fast Company, The New Museum, and Social Media Week.

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How Nipsey Hussle’s death led DeSean Jackson to Boys’ Latin

24 Friday May 2019

Posted by in NFL Players Giving Back, Social Justice

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Tim McManus
ESPN Staff Writer

Repost by:  DeSean Jackson Foundation, 5/24/2019

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=26651401

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson was about halfway through his Q&A session with the students at Boys’ Latin Charter School in West Philly on Wednesday, and to that point he had fielded only football-related questions. Knowing there were bigger issues at hand, he took it upon himself to change the direction of the conversation.

“Let’s try to switch it a little bit,” Jackson finally said to a group of about 150 high schoolers, who sat at rapt attention as Jackson spoke from the stage in a surprise appearance. “Let’s go to everyday life, when you all leave from school, any obstacles you are all going through.”

Jackson was aware of the series of tragedies that had struck this community. Boys’ Latin, the only public all-boys school in Philadelphia, lost four students to homicide or suicide in the 2017-18 school year alone, according to lead student support officer Kenyon Meeks. One of the victims was William Bethel, a 16-year-old athlete who was slain on Easter Sunday in 2018. Bethel shared a connection with Jackson, having attended Jackson’s youth football camp during his first stint with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Meeks was a supporter of that camp and built a relationship with the star receiver over time. He helped arrange Jackson’s first trip to Boys’ Latin in 2013. It was the death of artist Nipsey Hussle, Jackson’s longtime friend, that prompted Meeks to reach out to Jackson for a return appearance, as he identified a common thread that could tie a success story to a group of young men in need of some hope and direction. Jackson was moved to help.

“We brought in DeSean Jackson today because of the recent Nipsey Hussle situation, related to the loss of some of our students,” Meeks said. “One of the key things for me was, how do I bridge that gap with our students that are feeling down and depressed, or just have to deal with the everyday aspect of being out here in West Philly?

“We have had our shares of ups and downs, and it was nice to finally have some joy here.”

Jackson remained hidden behind a side door in the school cafeteria before being introduced by the principal. He was greeted by a roar of applause when he emerged, and he went down the line shaking the hands of all the boys in the first row before hopping up on stage. He spoke of his journey from the Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles to the NFL, and the pitfalls that had to be navigated along the way. It wasn’t long before he evoked Hussle’s name for the first time.

“I’m sure everybody in this room heard about the Nipsey Hussle situation, right?” Jackson asked, the crowd responding with a resounding “Yeah” in unison. “That was my boy, man. I grew up with him. That still hurts my heart to this day. Because it’s not really the enemies, it’s the people in your inner circle you’ve got to watch out for. You get to a certain point where you feel comfortable. You’ve got everybody praising you for what you do where you come from, sometimes you let down your guard. I’m going to tell you guys here today, just be careful.

Nipsey

Rapper Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot outside of his store in Los Angeles, Marathon Clothing, in late March. AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File
“You have to really understand: What are you in it for? Are you in it to win or to lose? Every day I chase to win. I don’t chase to lose. We’re not losers. Everybody in this room today has a destination in life. You’ve got a born date and you’ve got a death date. In between that time, how are you going to make the most out of it?”

Hussle was fatally shot outside his store in Los Angeles, Marathon Clothing, in late March. According to Meeks, Hussle’s death affected his students “on a level that you wouldn’t even believe,” saying that it “just uprooted everything that we have been through as a school community.”

Besides his music, Hussle was known for being an agent of change for the area in which he grew up, a neighborhood he stayed loyal to his entire life.

Hailing from the same area in South Central Los Angeles, Jackson and Hussle were friends for more than 15 years. Jackson will be wearing custom cleats to honor him this season.

Once he redirected the conversation, Jackson was asked about the neighborhood he came from and difficulties it presented. He spoke of his upbringing in the Crenshaw district, where “all people know is Crips and Bloods,” and where wearing the wrong color clothing can put you in peril. He had a decision to make: go into the streets and “hang out with my homeboys that’s just killing, that’s robbing, that’s selling drugs” or try to make a positive impact by pursuing his dream to be a professional football player.

“It’s obstacles,” Jackson said. “And I’m sure in your neck of the woods, where you come from, it’s the same.”

“It really touched me, because my uncle and a couple of my friends were killed due to gun violence,” said Jeremiah Carter, a Boys’ Latin senior and defensive lineman who is slated to attend Morehouse College in the fall, “so it helped to see somebody that comes from the same situation as that being in a higher place in life, and it motivates me to focus on, OK, even though bad things happen to people, that you can still push through that.”

Nipsey2

Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson speaks to a group of students from the Boys’ Latin Charter School in West Philadelphia on Wednesday.

That spoke to Jackson’s overall message, one inspired by Hussle: to make something of yourself so you can one day create the change you want to see in your community.

“It’s the same stuff Nipsey was on,” Jackson said. “Like Jay Z said, ‘Go buy up the block.’ That’s what we need to do as young black men, and any other race, you’ve really got to go back and buy up the block.

“Anytime you’re able to do anything, put your best foot forward and change the culture. We’ve got to come together as one.”

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Bucs players add support to Tampa ex-offender program

17 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by in Social Justice

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By Eduardo Encina
Published: October 16, 2018
Repost By:  J. Adams, DeSean Jackson Foundation: October 16, 2018

Bucs players add support to Tampa ex-offender program

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TAMPA — Buccaneers players spent Tuesday morning at Abe Brown Ministries in Belmont Heights listening to stories of redemption. The second stop on the team’s player-driven Social Justice Initiative schedule saw players immersed in a classroom setting alongside those currently making the adjustment from incarceration to becoming productive members of the workforce.
They heard a testimonial from Khadijah Lee, who served time for a drug conviction but through the Ready4Work Hillsborough ex-offender support program at Abe Brown Ministries now works at the Hillsborough County public defender’s office. “I think just in general, it was everyone’s openness and candidness that stood out,” said Bucs offensive guard Ali Marpet, who is one the initiative’s player board. “It’s not easy to talk about your life story to complete strangers and the fact that everyone was able to do that was really a testament to who they are. It’s really powerful stuff.”The Buccaneers’ year-round Social Justice Initiative, which was launched last month, was created to focus on police relations, criminal justice reform, racial equality, workforce development and youth empowerment.

The program was born when players wanted to make a grassroots effort to address social injustice issues beyond the on-field kneeling during the national anthem. “These were things that were important to the players,” said Bucs co-owner and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Foundation president Darcie Glazer Kassewitz. “They are putting this together. They are leading this. Prisons, back-to-work, empowerment for people, this is something they are very interested in. … That’s the beautiful thing about this program. It’s player-led, so it’s whatever touches their passion individually. That’s why it’s going to be so true and authentic, and why it’s going to be so amazing.”The program’s first event took players to Tampa Police Department’s Citizens Academy, where they reenacted scenarios in which officers must make life-changing decisions quickly.

Tuesday’s visit took them to a much different side to the spectrum, listening to those who have served time in jail and now are trying to overcome the stigma being labeled as criminals. Through the Ready4Work program, clients go through a four-to-six week, five-time a week career development crash course, the first step of helping them get jobs and reunite with their families. The program began locally four years ago, and of the 800 clients, 500 have completed the career development program, said Abe Brown Ministries president and Ready4Work director Robert Blount. It can be a challenge to getting clients jobs. Candidates have a 70 percent placement rate ad a 70 percent retention rate of being on the job 90 days of longer, Blount said. Blount said having the Bucs players —seven players attended the event, including Social Justice player board members Ali Marpet and Donovan Smith —visit a class offered “mutual exposure.”

Justice player board members Marpet and Donovan Smith —visit a class offered “mutual exposure.”

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TampaBayTimesSports

The player-led, year-round Tampa Bay Buccaneers Social Justice Initiative — created with $1 million in matching funds from the Glazer family — has adopted the motto, “We are the change.” @Buccaneers @TB_Times @NFLSTROUD http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/bucs/2018/09/18/bucs-announce-social-justice-initiative/ …

“I think it puts a face on it for them,” Blount said. “It goes beyond an Orange County jail uniform or a state prison blue suit. It goes beyond a DOC number. These are mothers, these are fathers. They’re real people like you and I, so I think it helps them to kind of put it in perspective, yeah you hear this label, but these are real people like you and I.“They’re more than just a label. From an athlete’s standpoint, I’m sure some of them have been labeled. Yeah, he’s just a dumb jock. So having to endure and overcome those labels, knowing that just because you have that label, you don’t have to accept it.”

Smith sat next to Kingson Aristil, who served 10 years in jail. Aristil, who ran track, cross country and played baseball at an Orlando high school, was incarcerated when he was 18. He is in his fourth week of the Ready4Work program, and looks forward to owning his own business one day.“For the first five years of my incarceration, I beat myself up about seeing guys I went to school with make it pro,” Aristil said. “A little bit of jealousy and envy went through me because I felt like I needed to be them. … Right now, in my life, I’m getting to a point of contentment. I’m happy seeing guys who are younger than me in the NFL doing what they need to do and coming back and giving back. I was broken. I was hurt. I thought I would never be able to compensate for the 10 years that I lost. My spirit feels at peace here. I feel humble here. I feel love.”

“Football and life parallels in a lot of ways,” the Bucs’ Donovan Smith said. “It’s about second chances. Every day, we’re given the chance to be our best. Unfortunately, in society, poorly-made decisions in people’s lives can kind of negate those chance. To come to a place where they are able to be in the path on their way back to normal society, it’s huge. We wanted to make it a point to be there and understand and sit down and talk with the people who are going through these things and hit it all. “Everybody goes through things,” he added, “Just hearing their stories and their similarities, it’s was lack of a better word, weird, because we are on two different ends to the spectrum, but we have similar backgrounds. It was just great to get here and hear the testimonies and just sit down one-on-one with them.

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Bucs announce social justice initiative

23 Sunday Sep 2018

Posted by in Social Justice

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Bucs announce social justice initiative

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TAMPA — Buccaneers’ receiver DeSean Jackson stepped out of his cleats and walked in the shoes of a Tampa police officer during a simulation training session Tuesday that was eye-opening.

“I was a police officer doing a regular (traffic) stop and I got up to the car and they just started shooting at me,” Jackson said. “I was like, dang. I had to react. I wasn’t expecting that one.”

Almost a year ago to the day, Jackson and teammate Mike Evans took a knee during the national anthem before a game at Minnesota to draw attention to social injustice.

That spurred a team conversation that on Tuesday led to the unveiling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Social Justice Initiative.

The player-led, year round initiative which has adopted the motto of “We are the change,” was created with $1 million in matching funds from the Glazer family that owns the Bucs.

On Tuesday, the initiative’s founding board that includes DeSean Jackson, Gerald McCoy, Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet and about 15 teammates, participated in police specialty team demonstrations and scenario-based exercises at the TPD training facility. They also held a question and answer session with Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan.

“I thought there was a disconnect and miscommunication that needed to be cleared,” McCoy said. “And we were able to ask questions and it was an open and honest conversation. We were able to ask hard questions.”

Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who says he goes to sleep each night listening to a police call scanner, said it’s the kind of conversation people need to have in every city. “This is an interesting time in America,” Buckhorn said. “It is an interesting time in the cities of America. It is a very unique time in terms of the police in our communities, particularly our communities of color. This is a challenge unlike anything we have faced as a nation. But ultimately it’s up to us how we resolve that quandary. It’s about communication. It’s about treating people with respect.”

The NFL has been looking for answers to this thorny issue since the summer of 2016, when a string of police shootings of unarmed black men inspired 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to kneel rather than stand for the national anthem. Kaepernick said he was protesting racial injustice. Other NFL players followed his lead, and athletes from other sports leagues joined the protests in various forms. But there were negative responses, even calls by President Donald Trump that players who protest during the national anthem should be fired.

When President Trump launched a sensational attack on NFL players, saying owners should “get that son of a (expletive) off the field” if  players disrespect the flag, it seemed to unify players and management. But television ratings saw a slight dip, and owners such as Jerry Jones tried to reach a solution by adopting a national anthem policy at the league meetings in March. The NFL rescinded its national anthem policy and is working with the players association on an collectively bargained one.

Darcie Glazer Kassewitz, Bucs owner/president of the team’s foundation, said Tampa Bay players identified four areas that needed the most help: police relations, criminal justice reform, racial equality and youth empowerment.

The Bucs players have three more events scheduled this year: a Ready 4-work ex-offender training program, a prison crusade with Abe Brown Ministries and a juvenile justice mentoring event with G3 Life Apps.

“I had some questions I wanted to ask because I have some family in law enforcement and I understand that their job, career, it’s not easy,” McCoy said. “It’s not easy at all and they take a lot of heat. Everybody in professional football, they’re not always going to be the best people. They’re not going to make the best decisions. But it’s going to be magnified with something negative. But there’s a lot, a lot, a lot, of great police officers out there and they do a lot in the community. And it’s not just protecting us, but going to schools and talking to groups or spending time with kids they drive past at the park.”

McCoy’s turn in the simulator on Tuesday also did not end well.

“I did the simulation where I actually ended up being stabbed because I missed (with the taser),” McCoy said. “And I did a simulation where, they weren’t aggressive, but it escalated very fast. It teaches you that you have to make split second decisions. The crazy thing is similar to Sundays, you have a decision to make. You have your training. But you’re not always going to make the right decision. They opened our eyes to that today. It’s easy to watch it on TV from afar and say what a person should and shouldn’t do and how things should and shouldn’t go. But when you’re right in the midst, in the heat of the moment, it’s a lot harder than we make it seem.”

DeSean Jackson thanked the Glazer Family Foundation for their willingness to provide matching player contribution, which could result in a $2-million fund for the initiative. He said he hopes other NFL teams will follow suit with similar programs.

“It’s like a trigger affect,” Jackson said. “Once again, I don’t think the Glazers could miss this opportunity. It definitely helped, the conversation we had last year. Definitively, from last year to where we are right now is a huge change, a huge jump.”

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