We can all push ourselves, to the extent we think we’re capable of getting to. There are special people that enter our lives, and we never know when, who can show us an even higher threshold. Dr. Keith Jones entered my life at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Unassumingly, a professor with a great rating on ratemyprofessor.com who offered an intriguing Africana Studies course.
From the very beginning of my first class, up until long after I graduated, I have been subject to Jones’ infectious energy. A passion exudes, where he attaches expectations with confidence into every one of his students, to excel and dive deeper into everything we do. Along with fellow colleagues in the Africana Studies curriculum, Dr. Keith Jones has made me feel welcomed in academia, where I feel validated, encouraged to express my perspective with peers, and with the world.
He is very much responsible for helping to curate a barely twenty-year-old, with depth I was not aware of thinking, inside and outside of the classroom. There are books that he introduced to me, always well-intentioned, and thoughtful choices. Books that have left an impression so strong on the morals and characters of not just those within the book, but how they reflect upon my own sentiments. Dr. Keith Jones, I believe, taught us intentionally, to further our investigative abilities, to critically examine and discern the experiences and moments that revolve around our own worlds. That has shaped me into becoming a better person for it, more patient, more exacting in my emotions and intentions. Qualities that are essential to navigate life after college, sometimes an unforgiving place.
I want to reflect on two memorable experiences; out of many, we went through together. One experience we had together, had to do with MLK Jr. We had joined a march that started up with fellow Africana Study professors called the April 4th movement, the day where MLK was assassinated. On the way from Dudley (Nubian) square, we had just started the march through the neighborhood, and someone got shot about a block away, proximity. Professor Jones, who was with a few students, comforted us, and reassured us that this is why we’re doing the important work.
He has always been a champion for doing the right things and persevering through tough times. That memory sticks with me, for keeping us on track in the face of some of the systems and actions which oppress the movement. The character is unshaken. Another time, that I think of often, shows the facets Professor Jones has, for his students, his motivation to make our college experience transformative. There were a couple classes towards the end of my first semester, and my first class (Race, Class, and Gender) with Professor Jones. He showed deference, in the name of evolution, inviting sociology and Africana professors from other universities. And there was a class where Professor Jones gave the visiting professor space, for students to do some self-identifying. We split up into groups and examined our full names. The discussion led by Professor Jones was eye-opening and made me much more open-minded about my own identity.
The tools needed to empower ourselves. Professor Jones has always focused on what will help his students gain confidence in ourselves, encouraging our work and providing feedback and conversations necessary to improve. This is a man, who has helped change many students for the better.