The life and legacy of attorney Dr. Clarence Benjamin Jones (January 9, 1931-May 22, 2026) will always be remembered and respected as a champion freedom fighter for liberation, justice, and equality in America and throughout the world. Clarence B. Jones, chairman emeritus of ‘Spill the Honey,’ was an iconic leader of the Civil Rights Movement and the trusted lawyer and speechwriter for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
I first met Clarence Jones in 1962, when I was a teenage statewide youth coordinator for Dr. King and the SCLC in my home state in North Carolina. For more than 65 years, I have watched up close and admired Dr. Jones as a steadfast visionary and prophetic leader. Dr. King and Dr. Jones were more than civil rights colleagues. They worked together as freedom-loving comrades and brothers.
Jones wisely stipulated: “Today, there are both challenges and opportunities to a successor generation of Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel.” Yes, we need a new, vibrant, and active generation of young Black and Jewish freedom fighters who work and win together.
In my last discussion with Clarence, while in San Francisco, he welcomed me and encouraged me to become the chairman of Spill the Honey as he assumed the role of chairman emeritus. What an honor it was for me to be given the baton of leadership from Dr. Jones affectionately. Spill the Honey is a national nonprofit founded by Dr. Shari Rogers that focuses on public education about the transformative shared legacies between Blacks and Jews who worked together effectively during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
The name ‘Spill the Honey’ was inspired by the story of Eliezer Ayalon, a Holocaust survivor who is a model of recovery from trauma and a messenger of hope. The non-profit takes its name from his story. He was gifted a cup of honey from his mother the final day she would see him before being sent by the Nazis to five concentration camps. He came to understand the power of using his voice and telling his story to inspire others to not remain silent in the face of hate and dehumanization, while healing himself in the process.
Throughout the lives of Dr. Clarence Jones and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, they used their voices and strengths to fight for civil rights, human rights, and equality. The Black and Jewish leaders of the Civil Rights Movement taught millions of people the power of sharing our stories, using our collective voices to remind us of the strength of our alliances in bringing about social change, and of being effective in challenging antisemitism, racism, and hate across the nation and globally.
Clarence Jones emphasized: “An example of a current initiative to restore this coalition is the Spill the Honey Foundation in Detroit, Mich. They seek to rebuild the historical coalition that existed between the African American and Jewish communities. Spill the Honey uses Holocaust education and ethical lessons learned from the Holocaust that contributed to the Civil Rights Movement.”
Under the vision of Dr. Shari Roger, Spill the Honey has produced a powerful and timely film documentary that revisits the enduring partnership between Black and Jewish communities during the Civil Rights Movement—and challenges us to reclaim that spirit today.
In the turbulent 1960s, a shared vision of justice brought these communities together, as Jewish leaders stood alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Clarence Jones, and many others in the fight for racial equality. Yet in recent decades, this once-strong alliance has frayed, is often overlooked, or is misunderstood.
Through rare archival footage and deeply personal interviews, Shared Legacies brings this history to life. The film features voices of eyewitnesses, activists, Holocaust survivors, and movement leaders, including Dr. Clarence Jones, Congressman John Lewis, Ambassador Andrew Young, Louis Gossett, Jr., members of the King family, Dr. Susannah Heschel, and others.
At a time when division and hate are on the rise again, the film serves as both a reminder and a call to action. A new generation is stepping forward, committed to advancing justice, strengthening relationships, and building bridges across differences.
The Shared Legacies film is ultimately a story of unity, empathy, and partnership—affirming that freedom and equality can only be achieved when we come together. Our call to action is to ensure that the freedom-fighting legacy of Dr. Clarence Jones remains vibrant and impactful for the next generation of emerging leaders. Every public and private school should make Shared Legacies part of their annual academic curriculum.
Long live the freedom-fighting spirit, love, and legacy of Clarence B. Jones. May our shared legacies become our shared futures for sustaining freedom, justice, and equality for all of humanity. Leader Brother Clarence, Rest in Power (R.I.P.).
(Rev. Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., Spill the Honey chairman; president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA); and co-chair with Rabbi Bob Kaplan of the Black Jewish Action Alliance (BJAA) can be reached at dr.bchavis@nnpa.org.)
