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Feminista Jones
Jones speaks at Widener University in 2015
Born
Michelle Taylor

(1979-04-06) April 6, 1979 (age 45)
Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA)
Hunter College (MSW)
Temple University (PhD)
Occupation(s)Social worker, author, activist
Notable workReclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets
Websitefeministajones.com

Feminista Jones (born Michelle Taylor; April 6, 1979), is an American social worker, author, and activist known for her focus on issues relating to Black feminism.[1] She has developed several social media campaigns and has written for The Washington Post, Salon, Time, and Ebony. Jones authored Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets (2019, Beacon Press).[2][3]

Career

Jones is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania,[4] and obtained an MSW from Hunter College and a PhD from Temple University.[5]

In a 2017 interview with Fabiola Cineas of Philadelphia, Jones stated that she wishes to fight against poverty because of her personal experience growing up within it.[6]

Activism

In 2013, Jones was selected as a United Nations Foundation Fellow for her social media influence. In 2014, she launched a global anti-street harassment campaign (#YouOKSis) and the National Moment of Silence protesting police brutality (#NMOS14), both of which received international media attention.[7] #NMOS14 was used to organize national vigils after the death of Michael Brown.[2] She was named one of the SheKnows/BlogHer 2015 "Voices of the Year" in their Impact category for her work with #NMOS14.[8]

In 2014, Jones tweeted about her own experience intervening in an incident of street harassment in New York.[7] Another user, Mia McKenzie, suggested turning the phrase she had used to check in with the woman—"You OK, sis"—into a hashtag campaign designed to raise awareness and encourage people to ask victims of harassment if they need help.[7] Hundreds of people began using the hashtag to report street harassment.[7]

Jones was a featured speaker at the January 21, 2017 Philadelphia Women's March, where she primarily discussed the difference between allies and co-conspirators.[2]

Other work

In 2015, Jones co-founded and served as general director of the Women's Freedom Conference, the first all-digital conference completely organized by and featuring only women of color. Jones has written articles for the Washington Post, Salon, Time, and Ebony.[9] She has also been regularly featured on Huffington Post Live, has appeared on the Dr. Oz Show and the Exhale Show, and her work has appeared on C-SPAN (2014)[10] and MSNBC (2014).[11] Jones also advocates for young children as well as the houseless and those with psychiatric disabilities.[12]

Jones wrote an article for The Washington Post on May 14, 2015, titled, "Keep Harriet Tubman—and all women—off the $20 bill." She argued it is wrong to place Black women on money, especially Harriet Tubman, due to the historic lack of access to wealth by women and especially women of color. Jones contended that placing Tubman on the $20 bill is counterproductive because it covers up Tubman's history of activism. Jones wrote, "Her legacy is rooted in resisting the foundation of American capitalism."[13]

Reclaiming Our Space

In 2019, Jones published Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminism is Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets.[14] The book explores how Black feminism has evolved through the use of social media and includes autobiographical segments, analyses of Twitter and hashtag movements that were inspired by Black women, and interviews with public figures and activists such as CaShawn Thompson, Glynda Carr, and others.

Publishers Weekly wrote in their review that Jones "astutely analyses the nuances of black female identity."[15] Kirkus Reviews described the book as "[s]harp and provocative, the narrative is most powerful in its implication that, unless born to privilege, all Americans, regardless of race or gender, now 'feel something akin to what Black people... have always experienced.' Understanding black (female) struggles are therefore critical for everyone."[16]

Works

Novel

Poetry

Nonfiction

Personal life

Jones was born and raised in New York City. Jones identifies as pansexual.[17] She is divorced and has one son.[12]

Accolades

References

  1. ^ McGartland, Tessa (March 8, 2019). "Fighting for, not against: Activist Feminista Jones shares message of resilience". Columbia Missourian. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "The Disruptors". CNN. August 2015. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016. Hackman, Rose (June 26, 2015). "'We Need Co-Conspirators, Not Allies': How White Americans Can Fight Racism". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. ^ Sanders, Joshunda (November 25, 2019). "Feminista Jones Wants Black Women to Reclaim Their Space". Bitch Media. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  4. ^ Connaughton, Clare (February 19, 2015). "Activist alum Feminista Jones returns to her roots". www.thedp.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "About Feminista Jones". Feminista Jones. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  6. ^ Cineas, Fabiola (October 22, 2017). "Feminista Jones: The One-Woman Social Justice Crusade". Philadelphia. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Berlatsky, Noah (July 28, 2014). "Black Women and Street Harassment: 'Even If You Don't Like It, You're Supposed to Appear That You Do". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Arens, Rita (July 17, 2015). "Introducing the work of the 2015 Voices of the Year featured honorees". Archived from the original on May 22, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2023.
  9. ^ "Feminism topic of Women's History Month presentation". Midland Daily News. Archived from the original on August 21, 2023. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  10. ^ "Feminista Jones". C-SPAN. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  11. ^ "Events in Ferguson shift to national story". MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Feminista Jones - SheSource Expert". Women's Media Center. Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
  13. ^ Paquette, Danielle. "The irony of putting Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill". Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  14. ^ Sanders, Joshunda. ""Reclaiming Our Space" Honors the Black Women Who've Changed the Internet". Bitch. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "Reclaiming Our Space: How Black Feminists Are Changing the World from the Tweets to the Streets". Publishers Weekly (published January 2019). December 10, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  16. ^ "Reclaiming Our Space by Feminista Jones". Kirkus Reviews (published January 1, 2019). December 2, 2018. Archived from the original on August 16, 2019. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  17. ^ Owens, Ernest (May 12, 2017). "LGBTQ&A: Feminista Jones". Philadelphia. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  18. ^ "2014 Black Weblog Award Winners". Black Weblog Awards via Wayback Machine. November 1, 2014. Archived from the original on December 3, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  19. ^ "The 100 Most Influential People in Philadelphia". Philadelphia. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.

External links

Authority control databases
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