The man who coauthored the famous “I Have a Dream” speech with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is returning to his New Jersey high school for the first time since he graduated nearly 70 years ago.
Activist, writer, professor and lawyer Dr. Clarence B. Jones is known for being a speechwriter, attorney, confidant and friend of King. Unknown to many, Jones was the valedictorian of Palmyra High School Class of 1949 in Palmyra, N.J.
Jones is being officially honored in June at Palmyra High School by the Palmyra School District, the Palmyra Board of Education and the Dr. James Still Preservation Trust. The school is renaming its library the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy. The institute’s mission will be to promote the vision of King and Jones by cultivating the importance of community by respecting and valuing others through service and education.
After attending Columbia University, Jones was drafted into military during the Korean War. Once discharged, he enrolled at Boston University for law school. Later he moved to California to pursue his law practice. While in Pasadena, Calif., Jones met King and would go on to become a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement.
“Anyone serious about changing an individual’s life for the better knows the answer lies in education,” said Jones. “Silence in the face of violence, is evil itself.”
A series of events are taking place during Jones’ two-day visit June 6-7, starting with the dedication of the Dr. Clarence B. Jones Institute for Social Advocacy followed by a fundraising dinner.
There will also be a roundtable discussion, “Keeping the Dream Alive: Awakening Peace, Love, Unity, Compassion and Prosperity in our Communities in 2017,” featuring local community, spiritual and civic leaders, and a proclamation ceremony will honor Jones at Palmyra Borough Hall.
