Burnley "Rocky" Jones
| Rocky Jones | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 26, 1941 Truro, Nova Scotia |
| Died | July 29, 2013 (aged 71) Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation | lawyer |
| Known for | Students Union for Peace Action |
Burnley Allan "Rocky" Jones (August 26, 1941 – July 29, 2013) was an African-Nova Scotian and an internationally known political activist in the areas of human rights, race and poverty. He rose to prominence first as a member of the Students Union for Peace Action (SUPA) during the 1960s and later as a successful lawyer.
Born to Elmer and Willena Jones in Truro, Nova Scotia as one of 10 children. His grandfather, Jeremiah Jones, was a hero during the Battle of Vimy Ridge in World War I. Jones was a fifth-generation African Canadian and can trace his Canadian roots back to the late 18th century.
In March 1965, Jones joined the Students Union for Peace Action (SUPA) in a demonstration outside of the American Consulate in Toronto, Ontario. Shortly thereafter the media began to refer to him as "Rocky the Revolutionary", and he was often considered to be Canada's Stokely Carmichael. He was a leader with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and was responsible for bringing the Black Panther Party to Canada. Jones was a founding member of The Black United Front of Nova Scotia, National Black Coalition of Canada, Dalhousie University Transition Year Program (where he taught for 10 years), Dalhousie Law School Indigenous Blacks and Mi'kmaq Program, African Canadian Liberation Movement, African Canadian Caucus of Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Project to name a few. Along with his wife at the time, they formed Kwacha House; Eastern Canada's first inner-city self-help program for the culturally diverse, lower socio-economic population. Jones created the Black Historical and Educational Research Organization (HERO Project), a pioneering oral history project on Black culture.
A strong advocate of prisoners rights, Jones was involved in the establishment of the Black Inmates Association and the Native Brotherhood of Dorchester Penitentiary and Springhill Institution. Jones developed programs for women in the Kingston Prison for Women, Halifax County Correctional Centre and in the community. He developed a wilderness experience program for ex-inmates and oversaw two production companies also staffed by ex-inmates. Jones was the Executive Director of Real Opportunities for Prisoner Employment (ROPE), a self-help organization for ex-inmates.
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