Velma Lois Jones
Comment: In preparing this draft, I disclose that AI assistance was used as follows: An AI chatbot was not used to generate this bio. PearlsofServiceTN (talk) 18:33, 10 October 2026 (UTC)
Velma Lois Jones
Educator and Civil Rights Leader
Born: September 7, 1930
Lifelong Memphian and champion of service, Velma Lois Jones is a trailblazing educator, civil rights leader, activist, and a first-class parliamentarian. She is a graduate of Manassas High School and was recently inducted into the Memphis Shelby County School Hall of Fame for her excellent contribution to education in Memphis. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from LeMoyne-Owen College and a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. She did additional studies at Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis and Michigan State University. In 2012, Ms. Jones was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree from LeMoyne-Owen College.
Ms. Jones was a teacher in the Memphis City Schools. Before her retirement, she was a member of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. She held membership in numerous Tennessee Education Association task forces and committees, she was elected as a delegate to the National Education Association Representative Assembly annually from 1971 to 2002. Ms. Jones was the first African American classroom teacher to be elected President of the Tennessee Education Association as well as the first to serve six years in that capacity. Additionally, she served as President of the Memphis Education Association and West Tennessee Education Association..[1] In 2023 she was inducted in the Memphis Shelby County Schools Hall of Fame[2].
Ms. Jones is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. In her initiating chapter, Beta Epsilon Omega (Memphis, Tennessee), she was elected three times as President and held numerous other roles in her initiating chapter. Additionally, she served as the 13th Southeastern Regional Director from 1966 – 1970. During her administration as Regional Director, she chartered three Alpha Kappa Alpha chapters on predominately white campuses and started the process of three more chapters on additional predominantly white campuses. She is currently affiliated with Phi Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, Memphis, Tennessee.
In 1970, Ms. Jones appointed as the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated International Parliamentarian during the administration of International President Janet Jones Ballard Administration. She has served on numerous international committees including the Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Connection Committee, Standards Committee, and the Evaluation Committee.
She is a lifelong member of Trinity Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee.
For her civic and civil rights accomplishments, Ms. Jones has received awards, including the Diversity Memphis Humanitarian of the Year Award given by the Women's Foundation of Greater Memphis. She received from President Barack Obama the prestigious Unsung Hero Award at a White House ceremony[3]. Ms. Jones received the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award[4]. She has served on the Board of Trustees of LeMoyne-Owen College for 12 years and as National President of the LeMoyne-Owen Alumni Association. In 1992, 1996 and 2000, Jones served as Delegate to the National Democratic Convention. In 2019, Jones was a recipient of the Memphis Inter-Denominational Fellowship Most Outstanding Women of HBCU Graduate Award, the Women United Valiant Woman Award, the Living Legacy Award by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History[5]
Among her many community affiliations are the National Council of Negro Women and the YWCA Committee on Administration at the Sarah Brown Branch. She served as Vice Chairman of the Shelby County Housing Authority and was the first woman elected as President of the NAACP Memphis Branch. She served as a member of the LeMoyne-Owen Board of Trustees and was named Parliamentarian after having been the longest serving National Alumni President in that organization’s history; In 1992, 1996 and 2000, Jones served as Delegate to the National Democratic Convention. a strong advocate for seniors, serving as Regional Impact Team Leader for AARP, as well as continuing to serve on the local NAACP Executive Board and Education Committee.
She participated in helping to make Memphis the “City of Good Abode” for all its citizens.
She holds charter membership in the Memphis Chapter of Justice, Unity, Generosity, Service (JUGS), Inc.; the Coalition of 100 Black Women; Girlfriends, Inc.; Dollars and Sense Investment Club; Phi Lambda Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated®; Emanons’ (Health, Rest, and Relax) Club; and Chapter 15 of the American Institute of Parliamentarians and of the Beta Chapter of the National Association of Parliamentarians.
Commemorative marker and Bench Dedication
Dr. Tracey Morant Adams, 27th South Eastern Regional Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated established the “HerStory” initiative to highlight the brilliant lives and contributions of former South Eastern Regional Directors. Velma Lois Jones was the 13th South Eastern Regional Director and as part of the HerStory initiative a bench dedication was held in her honor for exemplary service to better Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ® and the South Eastern Region.[6]
Ms. Jones's efforts in integrating the Greek system at predominantly white colleges and universities have paved the way for countless young black women to join Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated®. Her indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication have left an indelible mark on our community and country.
Velma Lois Jones is a distinguished community leader and noteworthy Tennessean who has served her community, state, and nation in manifold ways and, indeed, she has been genuinely impactful in each of those venues.
Velma Lois Jones is an extraordinary citizen and a consummate Tennessean, and she has won the unbridled respect and admiration of colleagues, cohorts, and community-minded people of Tennessee, and this entire nation.
Resolutions
TN SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 367 RESOLUTION to recognize Velma Lois Jones, one of the 12 Most Outstanding Women of 2019 by the Memphis Inter-Denominational (MID) Fellowship, Inc
TN HOUSE RESOLUTION 152 A RESOLUTION to recognize and honor Velma Lois Jones, recipient of the 2014 Living Legacy Award.
TN HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION N0.1083 A RESOLUTION to congratulate Velma Lois Jones as an honoree during the 2012 Alpha Kappa Alpha Day on the Hill.
TN HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 682 A RESOLUTION to honor and commend Velma Lois Jones of Memphis upon receipt of the President's Volunteer Service Award and the accompanying designation as a Drum Major for Service.
References
- ↑ "Velma Lois Jones | National Civil Rights Museum". 2026-08-03. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- ↑ "Memphis Shelby County Schools". www.scsk12.org. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- ↑ "Honoring Unsung Heroes During Black History Month". whitehouse.gov. 2012-02-28. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- ↑ "The National Civil Rights Museum Announces 34th Freedom Award Honorees | National Civil Rights Museum". 2025-09-05. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- ↑ "Living Legacy Awards – ASALH – The Founders of Black History Month". asalh.org. Archived from the original on 2026-06-07. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
- ↑ Johnson, Rose (2024-08-18). "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. hosts bench dedication to honor member Velma Lois Jones". https://www.actionnews5.com. Retrieved 2026-10-10. External link in
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