RESOLUTION NO. __________, SERIES 2018
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A RESOLUTION HONORING ALBERTA ODELL JONES BY DEDICATING THE CORNER OF SOUTH DR. W. J. HODGE STREET AND WEST BROADWAY TO BE NAMED “ALBERTA JONES, ESQ. WAYBOULEVARD” IN HER HONOR (AS AMENDED).
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SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERS BARBARA SEXTON SMITH, JESSICA GREEN, MARY WOOLRIDGE, CHERI BRYANT HAMILTON AND PRESIDENT JAMES
WHEREAS, the Legislative Council of the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (“Council”) wishes to honor Alberta Odell Jones, Esq. whose pioneering work as an African American woman in civil rights work and in the practice of law was of great service to Louisville and Kentucky;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones was born in Louisville to Sadie and Odell Jones;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones graduated from Central High School and attended the Louisville Municipal College for Negroes, which later merged with the University of Louisville during desegregation;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones graduated third in her class from the University of Louisville and was accepted into the University of Louisville Law School but transferred to Howard University’s School of Law after her first year, and there she graduated fourth in her class;
WHEREAS, in 1959, Ms. Jones was one of the first African American women to pass the Kentucky Bar exam and become a member of the Kentucky Bar;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones was the first female prosecutor in Louisville, where she worked for the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office and prosecuted in the Domestic Relations Court;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones was also Cassius Clay’s first attorney, and was responsible for having him train in California under Archie Moore;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones was a civil rights activist who not only participated in the March on Washington and the marches in Louisville, but also rented voting machines and held classes to teach African Americans how to vote for the candidates of their choice, and later established the Independent Voters Association;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones also established the James “Bucky” Welch Fund after young Bucky Welch lost his arms trying to retrieve his dog from under a train, and the Fund raffled off a car to pay his medical bills and purchase prosthetic arms;
WHEREAS, in addition to being a member of the Kentucky Bar Association, Ms. Jones was a member of several other organizations including the American Bar Association, the Fall City Bar Association, the Louisville Bar Association where she served as Secretary, Eta Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, and the Sigma Chapter of Iota Phi Lambda;
WHEREAS, Ms. Jones was murdered in August 1965 and the case remains unsolved to this day; and
WHEREAS, the Council is grateful for Ms. Jones’s service and the change she brought to Louisville, and regrets that she was not here longer knowing that she would have left an even greater mark on the city.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE LOUISVILLE/JEFFERSON COUNTY METRO GOVERNMENT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION I: Alberta Jones’s service to Louisville Metro is hereby recognized with the placement of an honorary street sign on the corner of South Dr. W. J. Hodge Street and West Broadway in Louisville, Kentucky, as Ms. Jones’s office was once located at 2018 W. Broadway, and so designated as “Alberta Jones, Esq. WayBoulevard.”
SECTION II: The Department of Public Works is hereby directed to move forward with the fabrication of two honorary signs and the installation of one honorary sign upon the passage of this Resolution and the receipt of funds to cover the expense. The second honorary sign will be presented to the family.
SECTION III: This Resolution shall take effect upon its passage and approval.
_______________________________ ________________________________
H. Stephen Ott David James
Metro Council Clerk President of the Council
_______________________________ ________________________________
Greg Fischer Approval Date
Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY:
Michael J. O’Connell
Jefferson County Attorney
By: ____________________________
R-171-18 Resolution for Alberta Jones (9-10-18).docx