TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
mission on Civil Disorders otherwise known as the Kerner Commission.
Nathaniel R. Jones Federal Building and United States Courthouse. In 2016, Jones published his autobiographical memoir entitled Answering The Call: An Autobiography of the Modern Struggle to End Racial Discrimination in Ameri- ca. In 2019, the University Of Cincin- nati College Of Law renamed its Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice as the Judge Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice in his honor. Jones was Co-Chair and Director of the National Underground Railroad Free- dom Center, member of the board of trustees KnowledgeWorks Foundation, and Director Emeritus of the Cincinnati Youth Collobrative. The Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones is preceded in death by his wives Jean Gra- ham Jones and Lillian Hawthorne Jones; parents, Nathaniel B. Jones and Lillian Brown Jones Rafe; brother, Wellington Jones; and sister, Eleanor Colclourght. He is survived by a sister, Allie Jean Wooten; daughters Stephanie Jones, and Pamela Velez; sons Rick Haw- thorne, William Hawthorne, and Marc Hawthorne; eight grandchildren, and numerous of close relatives, friends and colleagues.
conventions. His accomplishments have been acknowledged by professional and civic organizations throughout the world. Jones was a Life Member of Kappa Alpha Psi and a longtime member of the Cincinnati (OH) Alumni Chapter. In 2009 at the 79 th Grand Chapter Meet- ing held in Washington, DC, Kappa Alpha Psi conferred its highest award, the Laurel Wreath, to Jones. In 2016, the NAACP bestowed its highest award, the Spingarn Medal, to Jones for his decades of work and service in the area of Civil Rights. Other awards bestowed to Jones include: • The International Freedom Conduc- tor Award from the National Under- ground Railroad Freedom Center (2016) • The Federal Bar Association’s Pillar of Justice Award (2014) • The Children’s Defense Fund’s Changing the Odds Award (2012) • The Washington (DC) Bar Asso- ciation’ s Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit (2011) • Induction into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame (2010) • The American Lawyer’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2007) • The Ohio State Bar Association’s Ohio Bar Medal Award (2003) • Induction into the National Bar As- sociation Hall of Fame (2002) • The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund’s Award of Excellence (2004) • Named by the Cincinnati (OH) Chamber of Commerce as one of the “Great Living Cincinnatians.” (1997) He has also received honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities. In 2013, Blank Rome, LLP developed the Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones Diversity and Inclusion Award, which is presented annually to a Blank Rome attorney or professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion. In 2003, the United States Congress passed H.J. Res. 2 resolution naming the courthouse in Youngstown, OH, the
In 1969, NAACP Executive Director Roy Wilkins appointed Jones as the civil rights organization’s General Coun- sel. Jones spent 10 years spearheading NAACP’s litigation which included cases argued before the United States Supreme Court. As NAACP General Counsel, Jones primarily focused on ending school segregation in the north- ern U.S., defending affirmative action and investigating claims of discrimina- tion against African Americans in the U.S. military. Jones led the NAACP defense in a Mississippi boycott case, which ultimately led to a landmark Supreme Court decision officially rec- ognized the First Amendment rights of individuals and organizations to engage in protests. In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter nominated Jones to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit where the United States Senate confirmed him and Jones took office later that year. His time on the bench was character- ized by principled defenses of personal liberty, civil rights, and opposition to the death penalty. Jones also championed civil rights and opposition to discrimi- nation outside the U.S. borders. In 1985, Jones traveled to South Africa in coordination with the National Law- yers Committee for Civil Rights Under Laws, where he was a legal observer at a treason trial. His involvement in South Africa played a role in abolish- ing apartheid. In 1993, Jones served as part of a team of observers for the first democratic elections in South Africa. He remained on the bench until his retirement in March 2002. In retirement, Jones had numerous ac- tivities. He joined the law firm of Blank Rome LLP. He taught law at Harvard University, North Carolina Central University, and the University of Cincin- nati. He wrote hundreds of articles in legal publications and participated on numerous panels at legal and civil rights
In 2016, the NAACP bestowed its highest award, the Spingarn Medal, to Jones.
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Publishing achievement for more than 105 years
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