Khyree Jackson’s legacy lives on through his parents’ foundation

For the second straight year, Ebbony and Raymond Jackson will spend the first few hours of Aug. 11, their son’s birthday, in contemplation.

Raymond may talk with Khyree Jackson or not say a word. Ebbony will talk with her oldest son and make sure everything around him is in order.

Before it gets too late, they’ll make the drive over to Upper Marlboro’s Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School to continue work that they hope will ensure their son won’t be defined by the tragedy that took his life on July 6, 2024.

“I know Khyree’s spirit is all around,” Ebbony said while fighting tears in a video call Monday with The Banner. “It’s something that allows me to continue being his mom.”

The Jacksons launched the Khyree Jackson Foundation in 2025 to start charitable work that they said Khyree was eager to begin in tandem with his burgeoning football career. The foundation’s signature event, Khy Day, will be open to the public for the first time at Wise High School from 6 to 8 p.m.

Khyree Jackson led his high school to a state championship in football. He played cornerback for college football powerhouses, the universities of Alabama and Oregon. The D.C.-born prospect was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

But months after he was drafted, he was a passenger in a Dodge Charger with his friends and former Wise teammates, Isaiah Hazel and Anthony Lytton, Jr., in the early morning. Their vehicle was struck by an Infiniti Q50, driven by Upper Marlboro resident Cori Clingman, who “attempted to change lanes while driving at a high rate of speed,” according to a press release from Maryland State Police.

Jackson, Lytton and Hazel were killed in the crash.

Authorities later indicted and, in February, sentenced Clingman, who was a manager on the Wise football team, to two years in prison for three counts of negligent homicide under the influence of alcohol.

Remembering Khy

When Khyree was a kid, his parents would take him to volunteer in soup kitchens and charity drives over the holidays, they said. Khy Day was born out of that ethic.

The community event will include a school supply and backpack giveaway as well as scholarships for Wise students and free haircuts to local youth. The Jacksons expressed gratitude toward the Vikings, the Washington Commanders and Athletes First, Khyree’s agency, for supporting their work.

They didn’t really know what to expect at last year’s inaugural event because they kept the invitations within their network. “I was so happy for him,” Raymond said. “I felt so honored to be his dad, to honor him in that way. I just want to make him proud of what we’re doing.”

The foundation will also debut a driver safety pledge as part of the “Drive For Khy” portion of the initiative that will include talks and demonstrations by Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Maryland State Police.

“We’re just trying to show people that our son passed away in a way that could’ve been preventable,” Ebbony said. “So, if we can help one of these teenagers, young adults or even grown people change their behavior behind the wheel? Then we’re doing what we’re supposed to do with the foundation.”

While the Jacksons want their community to think about how their son’s legacy can influence future generations of Prince George’s County residents, they can’t help but think about the lost opportunities.

Khyree was starting to flex his cooking prowess on social media after a post-high school life spent working odd jobs at Six Flags, Chipotle and Harris Teeter. He would’ve been there to protect and mentor his brother, Kolston, 12 years Khyree’s junior, as he started high school in a couple of weeks. Ebbony teared up when she grappled with conversations she previously had with her mama’s boy.

“I knew that Khyree wanted to get married and have children around 28 years old,” Ebbony said. “So, you know, as that time approaches, I just keep thinking how my son doesn’t get to walk down the aisle or doesn’t get to have kids.”

“So, just knowing that he was ready to start a family around this time just makes me even more sad,” she added.

But Ebbony and Raymond said this is why it’s important to them to host Khy Day on his birthday rather than the date of his death.

Family gatherings were always important to Khyree. He loved his county, his teammates and his community. So the Jacksons feel they need to process their grief by thinking about what their son would have wanted to do on his birthday.

“This time of year is harder,” Ebbony said. “If we can be focused on preparing for Khy Day, the days leading up to his birthday and then actually on Khy Day putting a smile on people’s face because we’re giving back to the community … it helps us. It just really helps us on that day.”

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