Tony Jones joined Virginia Organizing when the Portsmouth Chapter was just getting started. He became the Suffolk Organizer in April of 2018. A native of Portsmouth, Tony knows first-hand the kinds of discrimination that students of color face in area schools. This experience drew Tony to organizing for young people as a leader of the chapter. “When I was a volunteer with the Portsmouth Chapter I saw how empowering Virginia Organizing was to people,” Tony says. “That made me want to get more involved.”
Tony is also the founder of Helping Young People Everywhere (HYPE), a mentoring program. HYPE engages young people to raise their awareness of the consequences of their actions. Tony and his family live in Suffolk now, where he will be developing a community of leaders to work together for justice.