Jolanda Felicia Jones (born November 6, 1965) is an American attorney, politician, and television personality, as well as a former city councilor and heptathlete. Jones, a Democrat, is currently a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

, representing the 147th district. She was sworn in on May 18, 2022.

Early life and education

Jones, the oldest of five children, was born to John Ferrell Jones and Gwendolyn Jean West and raised in Houston's Third Ward. During her childhood, she lost her father, brother, and immediate family members to either suicide or murder. Despite her tough circumstances, Jones' mother was insistent that she succeed academically. At Elsik High School, Jones was an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n basketball player and track and field athlete. She earned an athletic scholarship to the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

, and graduated with a political science degree. At the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

she won bronze, and in 1989 she was US champion. Representing the

, she was a three time

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

champion (1986, 1987, 1989). In 1995, she earned her J.D. from the

University of Houston Law Center The University of Houston Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Houston in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1947, the Law Center is one of 12 colleges of the University of Houston, a state university. It is ...

. She is a member of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

. In 2004, she competed in '' Survivor: Palau'', where she was the third person eliminated from the game, finishing in 18th place. From 2008 until 2011 she was a member of the

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. The Council has sixteen members: eleven from council districts and five elected at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, wi ...

, school board member and is a criminal defense lawyer in Texas. In 2016, she appeared on the reality series "Sisters in Law", which focused on several Black female attorneys practicing in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. Jones is openly lesbian, though she was once married to an abusive husband. Her experiences made her an advocate for LGBTQ causes and domestic violence victims. In May 2022, Jones became the first Black member of the LGBTQ community elected to the Texas state legislature after winning the special election to succeed retiring Representative

Garnet Coleman Garnet Fredrick Coleman (born September 8, 1961) is an American politician. From 1991 to 2022, he was a member of the Texas legislature, Texas House of Representatives for the 147th district, located entirely within Houston and Harris County, Te ...

in the Texas House District 147.

References

External links

Official website

Profile
at ''trackfield.brinkster.net'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jolanda 1959 births 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportswomen 20th-century American sportswomen 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century American women politicians African-American track and field athletes American athlete-politicians American heptathletes American lesbian politicians Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives Survivor (franchise) contestants Houston City Council members Houston Cougars women's track and field athletes LGBTQ state legislators in Texas Living people Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners Pan American Games bronze medalists for the United States in athletics (track and field) School board members in Texas Texas lawyers Women city councillors in Texas Women state legislators in Texas 21st-century members of the Texas Legislature