![](\"http:\/\/bac.ysu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Nathaniel-R-Jones_Photo.jpg\")
\nPhoto of Judge Nathaniel Jones<\/p>\n
\nPhoto of Judge Nathaniel Jones<\/p>\n
Nathaniel R. Jones, \u201951 AB, \u201956 JD
\nNathaniel R. Jones was nine years old, sitting front-and-center in what was then known as Youngstown\u2019s \u201ccolored\u201d YMCA, when he first heard a civil rights activist speak. That day, the small boy from a poor black family began thinking about a career in law.
\nJones became one of the first African Americans to serve as a federal judge, appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, with jurisdiction over Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee and Kentucky. A graduate of Youngstown College and its School of Law, he has played key role in advancing civil rights, both in the United States and in South Africa.
\nThinking back, Judge Jones credits his mother for sensitizing him at an early age to issues like segregation and discrimination. She was a member of the ladies auxiliary at the segregated YMCA and poured tea for the nationally recognized civil rights leaders who spoke there on Sunday afternoons. \u201cI never knew why my mother took me to those meetings instead of one of my three siblings,\u201d he says, pensively, \u201cbut it made a big difference in my life. That\u2019s where I understood the role the law could play in accomplishing change.\u201d
\nNow 89 and living in Cincinnati, Jones has authored a book of his memoirs that spans his 70-year law career and America\u2019s Civil Rights Movement. Titled \u201cAnswering the Call: An Autobiography of the Modern Struggle to End Racial Discrimination in America,\u201d the book is set for release this spring. \u201cI think the book makes the point that we\u2019ve come a long way, but an ominous shadow still hovers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe still have serious issues that must be addressed. It\u2019s a continuous march.\u201d
\nThe autobiography traces his early years, growing up during the Great Depression on Youngstown\u2019s South Side, playing football for South High School and serving as president of the city\u2019s Youth NAACP chapter. \u201cEven in high school, I started getting involved with issues of race and discrimination, and there were many,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Photo of Judge Nathaniel Jones Nathaniel R. Jones, \u201951 AB, \u201956 JD Nathaniel R. Jones was nine years old, sitting front-and-center in what was then known as Youngstown\u2019s \u201ccolored\u201d YMCA, when he first heard a civil rights activist speak. That day, the small boy from a poor black family began thinking about a career in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":46,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-275","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n