Justin Jones is a community organizer, Tennessee state representative, and public theologian whose work lives at the heart of transformational leadership, values-based advocacy, and people-first governance. A tireless voice for justice, Justin rose to national prominence in 2023 when he was expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly for leading a protest in response to the Covenant School shooting. His expulsion became a flashpoint in the national conversation about democracy, dissent, and leadership for the moment. Just days later, thousands marched alongside him as he was reinstated, reclaiming space for community voice in the People’s House.
Born in Oakland, California, and raised by a single mother who became a nurse and union organizer, Justin’s path has always been rooted in intergenerational wisdom and movement values. As a student, he organized to expand Medicaid, challenged voter suppression laws, and mobilized against racial profiling and police violence. A proud graduate of Fisk University, where he received the John R. Lewis Scholarship for Social Activism, Justin also pursued graduate work in Theological Studies at Vanderbilt University. He draws on a deep well of public theology, moral imagination, and historical consciousness.
Now, as the youngest Black lawmaker in Tennessee and the representative of Nashville’s most diverse district, Justin brings clarity, care, and consistency to his work in the legislature. He continues to build brave spaces for dialogue, coalition across difference, and transformative policy rooted in care, from climate justice led by frontline communities to the fight for economic dignity, public education and democracy defense. His activism spans from the streets of Ferguson and Standing Rock to the halls of power in Tennessee, always in service of a multiracial, multifaith, multigenerational movement committed to reimagining systems and expanding who belongs.
Justin is a leader of the next generation, committed to collaborative leadership and cultural shift rooted in the belief that healing, justice, and imagination are not separate paths, but shared practices. Whether organizing at the grassroots, speaking across the country, or challenging power from within the system, he calls others into a vision of the South not as it was, but as it can be, a South rising anew.
The South Rising Anew: Reclaiming Democracy Through Community Power
In this stirring and timely presentation, Rep. Justin Jones explores what it means to build a South rooted not in fear or exclusion, but in shared purpose, community care, and inclusive democracy. Drawing from his own experience being expelled and reinstated in the Tennessee legislature, Justin offers a firsthand account of the current threats to democratic norms and the transformative potential of brave dialogue, grassroots organizing, and intergenerational coalition-building. He invites audiences to reimagine civic engagement not as an institution to be trusted, but a relationship to be rebuilt together.
From Protest to Policy: Organizing for Change Inside and Outside the System
Justin Jones has spent a decade on the frontlines, from leading nonviolent protests and filing federal lawsuits, to walking the halls of the state legislature as an elected official. In this talk, he shares his journey from activist to policymaker, and the deep tension and opportunity between movements and institutions. Audiences will walk away with insights on navigating complexity together, building values-based leadership, and turning resistance into tangible policy outcomes. This is a conversation about holding both moral clarity and political strategy and leading with courage when systems push back.
Leading Through Challenge while Centering Care
Leadership today demands more than policy expertise, it requires empathy, resilience, and the ability to foster brave spaces where diverse voices can thrive. In this presentation, Justin reflects on his experience confronting systemic injustice in the legislature while staying grounded in community relationships, spiritual practice, and collective care. He shares tools for building psychological safety, holding space across difference, and leading with integrity under pressure. This is a call to reimagine leadership as a relational act and to root our courage in connection, not ego.
Youth-Led Movements and the Future of Democracy
From campus protests to statehouse walkouts, young people are leading some of the most powerful movements of our time, courageously challenging injustice, organizing across difference, and building the future in real time. In this energizing and reflective talk, Rep. Justin Jones speaks directly to college students and educators about the urgency and possibility of youth leadership in today’s political climate. Drawing from his own experience organizing as a student and confronting power as one of the youngest lawmakers in Tennessee history, Justin explores what it means to lead with purpose, navigate backlash, and build community-rooted coalitions that last. This is a talk about learning through action, honoring the legacy of student activism, and making change from the ground up, on campus and beyond.
Faith, Freedom, and the Fight for Justice: Spirituality in the Struggle
For Justin Jones, activism is not just political, it is spiritual. In this deeply resonant talk, Justin draws on his faith and public theology to explore how spirituality has shaped his understanding of justice, care, and resilience. This is a message for those navigating burnout, spiritual crisis, or feeling disillusioned by politics. Offering a vision of healing-centered leadership and radical hope, Justin invites audiences into a conversation about leading with integrity, staying grounded in values, and reclaiming the sacred in civic life.
