.png)
Speaking Engagement Highlights
Adjusting the Crown: Respectability, Colorism, and Black Femme Identity
The Cotillion is a play written and directed by Colette Robert. In May 2023, Dr. Jones was invited to participate in a panel after the show to discuss the histories of Black women’s hair, colorism and respectability politics among additional topics.
NYU's MLK Week Culminating Marquee Event
Each year, NYU MLK Week includes an exciting array of events and programs curated to honor the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—and to commemorate his historic 1961 NYU visit. In February 2023, Dr. Jones was invited to be a panelist on the culminating marquee event of NYU MLK week.
“Black Hair Matters:
Teaching and Living Race Amidst Civil Strife” at Trauma, Tresses, and Truth:
Untangling Our Hair Through our Personal Narrative (virtual conference)
Bronx Documentary Center
Dr. Jones was invited by The Bronx Documentary Center to provide post commentary on a viewing of Good Hair (2009) by Chris Rock. She spoke about: (1) the commodification and moralization of Black women’s hair; (2) how institutions and individuals have historically attempted to dictate what Black women should do with their bodies, as well as have full access to Black women’s bodies; and (3) the difference between laughing at trauma and using laughter to work through trauma, given the comedic tone of the film as Black women shared their experiences of chemical scalp burns, balding, and attempts to meet various beauty standards.
NYU Black Graduation
Keynote Speaker
