William Tazewell Jones finds himself in an unusual quandary: his more conventional half leans toward advocacy and justice, but his other side gravitates toward music. Jones will combine both of these passions tonight at the Black Cat as the nonprofit he works for, Justiceaid, brings a night filled with rhythm, advocacy for public justice and blues.
Justiceaid is a nonprofit that utilizes charity events to take in donations that benefit causes for public litigation. The organization’s goal is to eliminate injustice.
“A couple years ago, I was tabling on the quad outside of MGC, and now I’m raising $40,000 for some really important causes,” Jones said. “I think that it’s a huge testament to who we as AU students are. We’re kids that care a lot and kids that are willing to take time out of their day to reorient their lives to make sure that other peoples’ lives are improved.”
Jones, an AU alumnus, began his path toward advocacy through the arts during his time at the University.
“I moved to D.C. from my hometown of Montgomery, Ala. in August of 2006 to start as a freshman at American,” Jones said. “I graduated in 2010 and between those years, majored in American government, modern injustice and founded and presided over AU Students for Sensible Drug Policy, which I’m glad to say is still in functioning form.”
After graduation, Jones became a paralegal for four years before transitioning to public relations. He learned of Justiceaid through a mutual friend whose father is an attorney and argued in front of the Supreme Court, but also happens to be a fan of the Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead.
“He had this great idea to get some of the most prominent attorneys in D.C. together to start this idea for a nonprofit that would basically work to raise money for social justice, especially for legal justice related causes,” Jones said.
Unlike other nonprofit organizations, Justiceaid would not charge money for a seat at a huge event. Instead, the nonprofit plans fun, casual events rooted in the arts.
Jones was pulled into the fold after his friend suggested his keen interest in the new venture.
“I’ve gained a lot of really awesome experience working [at Justiceaid] over the last two years,” Jones said. “I’ve handled all of our publicity, it means everything from writing press releases to doing media outreach to doing cold calls to journalist, in that regard to get stuff covered.”
Since Justiceaid’s inception in 2012, the nonprofit has held events such as “Gideon’s Promise,” which brought in more than $40,000 in donations. Tonight Justiceaid will hold an event featuring a wide range of music from funk to hip-hop fusion as the Morrison Brothers Band, Pants Velour and Flowtribe perform.
“I’m always looking for an opportunity to help out anyway I can and this one gives me that great opportunity to draw from the professional experiences I’ve had in the last few years which are a direct result and benefit of the education I received at American,” Jones said.
_“Justiceaid”:http://justiceaid.org/devoted-to-using-the-arts-to-promote-justice/ comes to the Black Cat on Wednesday, Nov. 20. For more information about ticketing or donation, visit their website
