Location: The Forest at Duke Auditorium
Reception to follow
Directed, Produced and Presented by Anna Jones
Chairman Jones: An Improbable Leader is a unique rural perspective on leadership and civility in the struggle for civil rights in the south. It presents a profile of an extraordinary leader who against all odds transformed a community in unimaginable ways, advancing educational opportunities for everyone. This film tells the story of director Anna Jones’s father, James Henry Jones, who was born on a former slave plantation in 1916. A self-educated farmer, he emerged as a trailblazer during the 1969 school desegregation in Northampton County, NC, leading the fight to end nearly a century of inequality in education for black children. His leadership as North Carolina’s first black school board chairman introduced a new era in education.
2016: “Best Historical Documentary Award”, Longleaf Festival, NC Museum of History, Raleigh, NC
2016: “Audience Choice Award”, Real to Reel Film Festival, King’s Mountain, NC
Reservations are required for this free lecture and reception. To inquire about availability and to make a reservation please email marketing@forestduke.org or call 919-433-2385.