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Clarence B. Jones

Former Adviser & Speechwriter for Martin Luther King Jr.

Clarence B. Jones
Travels From Travels From:
Palo Alto, CA, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $20,000 - $30,000
Virtual Event: $20,000 - $30,000
More Fee Info
Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Black Heritage, Black History Month, Business, Civil Rights, College, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Finance, Inspirational, Political, Social Activism, Social Justice
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Clarence B. Jones Biography

Dr. Clarence B. Jones served as legal counsel, strategic advisor, and draft speechwriter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1960 until Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. Vanity Fair called him the man who kept King’s secrets; Dr. Jones was privy to Reverend King’s decision-making processes and political struggles.

During that time, Dr. King depended on Dr. Jones for legal and strategic counsel and assistance in drafting landmark speeches and public testimony. He is credited with writing the first seven paragraphs of the iconic I Have A Dream speech and smuggling out the notes for Dr. King that would become the basis for the famous Letter from A Birmingham Jail.

He has co-authored two acclaimed books, "What Would Martin Say?" and "Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation," and countless articles and essays for the Huffington Post and many other publications. His latest book, "Last of the Lions," was released in 2023.

Across the decades following Dr. King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, Clarence B. Jones worked to carry on Dr. King’s legacy, to continue the nonviolent struggle for social justice, voting rights, and democratic inclusion. Dr. Jones has engaged American society in various fields, capacities, and roles throughout these years.

As a lawyer, civil rights leader, and business executive in the entertainment field, Dr. Jones maintained close personal friendships — and collaborative working relationships — with influential 20th- century artists, writers, athletes, and social justice activists, including Muhammed Ali, James Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee, and Lorraine Hansberry. Dr. Jones was the first Black person to join a Wall Street investment banking firm as a partner. Dr. Jones negotiated the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Ali and George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire. Dr. Jones served as the co-publisher and editor of the Amsterdam News. He was also instrumental in the development and financing of Inner City Broadcasting, Inc. which at one time had over 20 black owned radio stations throughout the country. Jones has served on the boards of cultural organizations, including The Impact Repertory Theater & Dance Company, The Theatre Development Fund NYC, and the Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt Institute.

Dr. Jones was engaged in close working relationships and friendships with many leaders of the black liberation movement who interacted with King throughout these years. He was a liaison between Dr. King and Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Robert F. Kennedy, among other figures. Because of his relationship with Dr. King and his associates, Dr. Jones was the target of illegal wiretaps initiated by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover from July 1963 until Dr. King’s assassination.

Jones currently serves as the Chairman of the Spill the Honey Foundation, an organization dedicated to Black- Jewish relations. He also co-founded the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy and also serves as the Founding Director Emeritus of the Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Jones was awarded an honorary doctorate at the University of San Francisco and honored at events at Columbia University, where he was an undergraduate, and the Julliard School of Performing Arts, where he studied music. He graduated from the Boston University Law School where he received the Silver Shingle Award. In 2015, President Barack Obama honored him at The White House. In 2021, The American Bar Association Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice bestowed on him The Thurgood Marshall Award.

Dr. Jones was featured in a Super Bowl commercial on behalf of the Foundation to Combat Anti- Semitism that focuses on all hate and the silence of the good people.

More recently, Dr. Jones was bestowed The Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden along with such notables as Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Opal Lee, Michael Bloomberg, James Clyburn, and Michelle Yeoh.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 09/23/2024.

Clarence B. Jones Videos

  • Dr. Clarence Jones, friend and advisor to MLK, on Dr. King's death ...
    Dr. Clarence Jones, friend and advisor to MLK, on Dr. King's death ...
  • Clarence B Jones on Martin Luther King Jr. - YouTube
    Clarence B Jones on Martin Luther King Jr. - YouTube
  • UVU: Dr. Clarence B. Jones - The Dream Turns 50
    UVU: Dr. Clarence B. Jones - "The Dream Turns 50"
See All Videos »

Clarence B. Jones Books

  • Last of the Lions
    Last of the Lions
  • Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation
    Behind the Dream: The Making of the Speech that Transformed a Nation
  • What Would Martin Say?
    What Would Martin Say?

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  • What topics does Clarence B. Jones speak about?

    Clarence B. Jones is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Black Heritage, Black History Month, Business, Civil Rights, College, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Finance, Inspirational, Political, Social Activism, Social Justice.

  • Where does Clarence B. Jones travel from?

    Clarence B. Jones generally travels from Palo Alto, CA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Clarence B. Jones is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics . The estimated speaking fee range to book Clarence B. Jones for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Clarence B. Jones generally travels from Palo Alto, CA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, Clayborne Carson, Dr. Bernice King, Angela Davis and Van Jones. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Clarence B. Jones for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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