Please join the Center for American Progress for a conversation with Clarence B. Jones, author of Last of the Lions: An African American Journey in Memoir and speechwriter and lawyer for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Jones’ new book, Last of the Lions, is two histories woven into one remarkable story, both personal and national. By exploring the evocative life of Clarence B. Jones, from his depression- and segregation-era upbringing at the hands of caring Irish Catholic nuns through his Ivy League years, his unprecedented dual role as simultaneous military draftee and protester, and his work as an entertainment lawyer, financial and media entrepreneur, and more, Last of the Lions weaves the story of America’s relationship with its Black citizenry and the sea change they have experienced in the past century. Jones acts as the bridge from one America to another—spanning poverty and prosperity, injustice and acceptance, Harlem and Wall Street, and even the militant underpinnings of the Black Nation of Islam and the Gandhian philosophy of Dr. King.
His story is the connective tissue that clarifies our past, explains our present, and points the way to the future. Jones suffered the iniquities, fought the battles, and, unlike so many, lived to see both the fruits of his labor and its failings.
A reception will follow the conversation.