Urban League Executive Profile: Eugene Kinkle Jones

Eugene Kinkle Jones was one of the seven founders or Jewels of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Executive Secretary of the National Urban League for over 40 years.  His 40 years of service to the Urban League have not been topped by any of his predecessors.  Jones was born on July 30, 1885 in Richmond, Virginia.  His father, Joseph was a former slave but his mother, Rosa was born free.  Jones attended Wayland Academy, a high school arm of Virginia Union University where his father, Joseph Jones was a professor and his mother Rosa was a teacher.  Upon graduation from high school, Jones entered Virginia Union, earning an undergraduate degree in 1905. 

In the fall of 1906, Jones began his Master's Degree program at Cornell University.  it was there where Jones joined up with 6 other young black men to form the first black greek fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha incorporated on December 4, 1906.  Jones served as the 2nd chapter president.  Jones organized the 1st three chapters that branched out from Cornell; Howard University, Virginia Union University and the University of Toronto.  Jones taught at the University of Louisville from 1908-1909 and was married to Blanche Rubie Watson in 1909.  The couple had 2 children.  

In 1911 Jones was appointed as a field secretary to the National Urban League (NUL).  In 1918, Jones was appointed as the Executive Secretary to the NUL where he served until his retirement in 1941.  As Executive Secretary he led a campaign to undermine the barriers to black employment.  This campaign often included boycotts against firms that refused to employ African American workers.  Jones also worked to expand vocational opportunities for young African Americans and sought a greater role for blacks in previously segregated labor unions.  By the 1920′s, he had organized offices in forty cities and his budget had increased to a million dollars. The organization also published a magazine, Opportunity.  

By 1930, the National Urban League was recognized as one of the most significant forces in American life. It’s influence was felt wherever there were problems of racial adjustment between whites and African Americans. Through the efforts of Jones and his staff, social problems of Black Americans were lifted into the realm of science and research. Many young men and women began to find opportunities in the field of social work. In 1932, he was appointed by President Franklin Delanor Roosevelt as a member of his “black” cabinet, also known as the “kitchen cabinet.” Jones served as an advisor of Negro Affairs in the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce with the Department of Commerce between 1933-1937.

Under Jones' direction at the National Urban League, over 200,000 African-American workers were placed in positions, a stellar and remarkable accomplishment. Jones remarked about his retirement and the progress of race relations he witnessed in his lifetime:

“Much of it resulted not from mass pressure or political compromise, but from logic, understanding, goodwill and common sense. I truly believe that it is economically and socially better to treat people fairly, and it is possible to convince others of that.”

Jones died on January 11, 1954.  By that time the National Urban League had fifty eight affiliates in twenty nine states, a staff of 399 and a budget of $1.5 million dollars.

By Zeke Ivy