Young, Black, Politician: Jewell Jones Makes History,Again

While most adolescents are still trying to figure out their place in society, Jewell Jones (D) is fighting for justice from within the Michigan City Council and bridging relations between the African American community and those who police them.
Now the youngest state representative, serving others is nothing new for Jewell Jones.
At the age of 21, he recently made history in Inkster, Michigan.
First, he became the youngest person to ever sit on the City Council, which represents the city’s 4th District. As of November 2016 Jones will be the youngest state representative ever!
Jones, won the election on November 8th in Michigan’s 11th House district. He’s said to be the youngest ever elected to the state house. In 2015, the people of Inkster voted then-20-year-old Jewell Jones to the city council.
On January 1st, he’ll become the official State Representative.
The Democrat is a senior at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, studying political science and business. Jones is still planning to graduate in the spring of 2017.
Finding the balance between the campaigns and being a full-time student was the difficult part. On top of double majoring, Jones is involved with several on-campus organizations — including the Army ROTC, Black Student Union and Student Veterans Association. “I was taking it day to day, but it was just a daily challenge of seeing if I focus on the campaign right now, or should I focus on school,” the newly minted councilman said. “But my support system was really good.”
Some people have questioned his experience and ability to lead. Jones says that it was because of his young age. He isn’t worried about being unprepared. “I have quite a lot of responsibility and roles right now that I’ve had for quite some time now,” Jones said. “It kind of molded me to be good at this job.”
David Knezek, who was the youngest senator in Michigan at age 29, says he met Jones when the councilman was 16 and immediately saw his potential for leadership.
“We need more Jewells in politics across this country. We need more young people who won’t simply settle for sitting on the sidelines complaining about how others are running things,” Knezek told another media outlet.
As a city councilman of Inkster, Jewell Jones has stood on the frontlines throughout hardships such as: urban blight, high poverty and illiteracy rates. The town has also grappled with police brutality, including the beating of 57-year-old Floyd Dent during a traffic stop earlier this year.
The newest and youngest state representative pledges to continue to tackle the relationship between the police department and the residents they serve.
“We are definitely going to be more focused on community policing, making police officers more visible by attending different events as opposed to residents only seeing and interacting with officers when they are enforcing the law,” Jones explained to the media.