SHREVEPORT, La. — Shreveport has lost one of its most influential social and civil rights activists.
The Rev. E. Edward Jones died Thursday, Galilee Missionary Baptist Church confirmed. He was 85.
Through the church of which he was a longtime pastor, Jones was instrumental in creating Galilee City, an effort which helped revitalize Shreveport's Allendale neighborhood.
Former Shreveport city councilman Rev. Theron J. Jackson — pastor at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church — said anyone can simply drive through the neighborhood to see firsthand physical manifestations of his efforts.
"He leaves a lasting legacy difficult to live up to, but easy to follow," Jackson said.
Calling Jones “a civil rights giant,” Shreveport Mayor Ollie Tyler said his legacy will remain in the hearts of the people in the city he served so well.
“Rev. Jones was a true friend and supporter who not only touched my life, but the lives of so many in this city, state, and nation,” Tyler wrote in a statement to The Times. "His dedication to the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church and love for his community has improved the quality of life for so many in this city. I will miss his generous heart and ability to connect people from all walks of life."
In 1965, Jones filed a suit on behalf of his daughter, Beryl Jones, spearheading the desegregation of Caddo Parish School System.
That same year, Beryl, along with two other students, became the first black students to attend an all-white school in Caddo Parish.
“We all stand on the broad shoulders of Reverend Jones, who was responsible for laying the foundation for integration in Caddo schools and blazed a trail of equality for all citizens," Tyler said.
In a statement, Gov. John Bel Edwards called Jones a "leading proponent for justice and civil rights" in Louisiana.
"Rev. Jones will long be remembered and admired for his commitment and tireless work to improve the state, nation, and world," Edwards said. "His work serves as an example for all of us committed to doing the most for the least among us."
The old Galilee church on Williamson Way, which Jones first joined in 1958, was a meeting place for civil rights protests and marches.
It was the same church the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at twice to encourage blacks to vote. Jones himself met King in 1957 and worked closely with him through the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
The Rev. Harry Blake of Mount Canaan Baptist Church said he originally forged a relationship with Jones in the late 1950s when Jones came to Shreveport as pastor of Galilee Baptist Church.
Smiling broadly, Blake reminisced about the nearly 60 year friendship the two shared.
"All my memories are fond," said Blake.
Lamar Goree, superintendent of Caddo Schools, said Jones pushed "our city and our schools to be better than we had ever dreamed."
Acknowledging the debt of gratitude the Caddo school system owes to the civil rights icon, Goree called Jones a man who stood in the face of adversity and expected more from people.
“These many years later to see how far we’ve come in this very system where I grew up speaks to the work of Reverend Jones and so many civil rights leaders in our very community," Goree said in a written statement. "His leadership and tenacity to fight for what is right regardless of the obstacles faced are characteristics I pray carry on in each of us.”
Jones also served as president of the National Baptist Convention of America and was selected by Ebony magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential Blacks in America."
The Rev. Joe R. Gant, Jr., pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Shreveport, said Jones was his father in the ministry.
In the 18 years Jones spent as president of the NBCA, Gant served as his assistant.
"Reverend Jones took me under his arm as his son — he probably has made a greater impact on my life than any other person has," said Gant, who called Jones a humble man in spite of being an extraordinary humanitarian and people person — he could shake someone's hand and remember that person's name and face 20 years later.
A native of DeRidder, Jones attended Grambling State University at the age of 17 and later went on to establish a scholarship at the institution.
"This nation has lost a giant," said Gant. "He was a man who has left his footprints in the sands of time. Shreveport is a better place because Reverend Jones was here."
Follow Miles Jay Oliver on Twitter: @MilesJayOliver
