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Clarence B Jones, a erstwhile speechwriter and confidante of Martin Luther King who helped pen his celebrated “I person a dream” speech, has died. He was 95.
Jones died connected Friday astatine a elder surviving organization successful nan San Francisco Bay Area suburb of Cupertino, according to a connection released by family members, who were astatine his side.
“Our begetter lived a life of conscience,” nan Jones family said. “He believed, until his last days, that an thought [is] much powerful than nan march of immoderate army. We are grateful beyond words for nan love, nan prayers, and nan friendships that sustained him, and us, crossed this agelong and singular life.”
As King’s individual attorney, Jones was heavy progressive successful immoderate of nan cardinal moments of nan civilian authorities movement. He is credited pinch smuggling pages of King’s “Letter from Birmingham jail” retired of his compartment and penning galore up until King’s assassination successful 1968.
He helped trade King’s 1967 “Beyond Vietnam: a clip to break silence” reside fixed astatine Riverside religion successful New York precisely a twelvemonth earlier King’s death. It was considered a hallmark reside for King’s condemnation of nan Vietnam warfare and US militarism successful general. He based on that nan US’s information successful nan warfare exacerbated poorness crossed nan country
Born connected 8 January 1931 successful Philadelphia, Jones had parents who were home workers for a able Quaker family respective miles distant successful New Jersey, according to nan Clarence B Jones Institute for Social Advocacy. Jones was people valedictorian of an integrated precocious schoolhouse successful Palmyra, New Jersey. His knack for speechwriting became evident successful 1949, erstwhile he gave a graduation reside astir breaking down group barriers.
Jones went connected to postgraduate from Columbia University successful New York. He past was drafted by nan US service but was honorably discharged almost 2 years later. He went connected to gain a rule grade from Boston University.
In 1960, successful what would beryllium nan commencement of a seminal friendship, Jones was approached by King to beryllium connected his ineligible squad successful a taxation evasion lawsuit brought by nan authorities of Alabama. Jones pivoted from a profession successful intermezo rule successful California and moved his family to New York. There he could beryllium person to King and nan Southern Christian Leadership Conference and service arsenic a full-time adviser, lawyer and speechwriter for him.
He was a personnel of nan ineligible squad connected nan 1964 lawsuit New York Times v Sullivan. The nation’s highest tribunal overturned a libel lawsuit against nan newspaper, which had tally an advertisement condemning constabulary curen of civilian authorities demonstrators successful Montgomery, Alabama.
After King’s death, Jones worked for a Wall Street finance banking patient and became nan first Black American pinch nan nickname of allied personnel of nan New York banal exchange.
He later ventured into academia. In 2012, he joined nan module astatine nan University of San Francisco wherever he taught rule students arsenic good arsenic undergraduates successful courses specified arsenic From Slavery to Obama. In 2018, he co-founded nan Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice astatine nan school. Around nan aforesaid time, he besides became a scholar-in-residence astatine Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Jr Research and Education Institute.
Jones published a book astir those years pinch King successful 2023 titled Last of nan Lions: an African American Journey successful Memoir.
The pursuing twelvemonth he received nan nation’s highest civilian award, nan statesmanlike badge of freedom, from Joe Biden. A fewer weeks later, a tearful Jones appeared astatine a San Francisco Giants shot crippled pinch Golden State Warriors prima Stephen Curry to propulsion retired nan ceremonial first pitch. Curry has produced and co-directed a short documentary connected Jones.
The Baddest Speechwriter of All won an grant astatine nan Sundance show successful January and will watercourse connected Netflix later this year.
Jones is survived by his 5 children and longtime partner Lin Walters.
Plans for ceremonial services and a nationalist ceremony of life are still being finalized.
