N.C. A&T Alumnus Keith Creates Legacy through Service and Racial Equality
Growing up in Jacksonville, N.C., Jason Keith ‘01 saw firsthand the power of community service through his father, the late James Keith Jr. ‘67, who served in the military and supported his community faithfully.
Today, Keith is a successful criminal law attorney, serial entrepreneur, community organizer, and the founder of a nonprofit in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“My father always had the spirit of serving and he helped everyone in the community,” said Keith. “I can honestly identify myself in my dad when it comes to being a servant leader.”
While attending North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Keith initially was a music major because of his love for the Blue and Gold Marching Machine. By his sophomore year, he changed his major to political science with a minor in English and became a member of the Cold Steel drumline. He also was initiated into the Beta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. in 2001.
“North Carolina A&T taught me how to stay persistent and instilled in my DNA hard work,” said Keith. “For every opportunity, I have pursued, I have learned from my failures and embraced every challenge that comes with it. With the help of God, I believe I am always prepared to endure what is next for my life.”
After A&T, Keith enrolled at North Carolina Central University’s School of Law and graduated with his Juris Doctor in 2005. He later worked at a law firm in High Point, North Carolina, and in 2007, launched his firm, Keith & Associates, PLLC. His practice focuses on criminal law, civil rights and defense litigation.
“Working as a lawyer for nearly 17 years, I noticed an increase in the number of young Black men in and out of the courtroom. Statistically, there was a huge disconnect in the Black family and I knew that youth sports were one of the solutions to combat this issue,” said Keith.
In 2014, Keith started Triad Basketball Academy, an advanced training program for young men interested in playing professional basketball. The program has served 1,000 youth since its inception and offers an afterschool program, mentoring, mental health services and a technology center.
“Since the very beginning, my son always had an interest in sports and played AAU basketball,” he said. “Now me, on the other hand, I am not the greatest basketball player but I know what it takes to work with young men, so I turned Triad Basketball Academy into a community effort.”
The organization is supported by community leaders, professional athletes and donors. Most importantly, the youth are supported by Black men who keep them accountable and instill leadership and life skills in them.
During the peak of the pandemic, Keith was instrumental in leading the effort for the Black Lives Matter street mural in front of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Downtown Greensboro.
“Once we received the approval from the city, my wife, Nichole Keith ‘01, who is an artist, helped me to mobilize other artists to design the mural,” he said. “Also, my best friend, Brian ‘B-Daht’ McLaughlin, radio host of 102 JAMZ, assisted me with this strategic effort.”
During the peak of the Black Lives Matter protests, Keith rallied other lawyers to step up to support protestors who were arrested while exercising their freedom of speech. For two years, he also worked with national civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump on several criminal cases.
In 2022, Keith was appointed president of the Guilford County Association of Black Lawyers. He plans to pursue his political ambitions and continue investing in the lives of Black boys in the Piedmont Triad.
To learn more about Keith’s law firm, please visit www.4justicelaw.com. For more information about Triad Basketball Academy, please visit www.tbagso.com.
