Regina Jones, a publishing pioneer who shatters glass ceilings for female leaders everywhere

Written by Author & Publisher Nicole D. Miller

A Deeper Dive into Black History

The Black community's literary heritage is brimming with esteemed authors, writers, and poets. When asked about the history, names such as Nikki Giovanni, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin roll off tongues without a quiver. But, sadly, far and wide, most members of the culture probably wonder, “Who in the hell is Regina Jones?”

That’s the question the 49th Cleveland International Film Festival’s showing answered. The film, donning the catchy title Who in the hell is Regina Jones?, beckons its audience into a deeper dive of Black history. After witnessing intimate interviews with the protagonist, historical documents from the newspaper she spearheaded, and an up-close view of her other accomplishments that contributed to significant movements in the Black community, viewers are catapulted into a renaissance of Black soul.

Watts Riots

Regina Jones and her husband, Ken Jones, had a financially humble union marked by five children. In 1965, their marriage became further influenced by the uprisings of the Watts Riots. Ignited by an accusation from a police officer to a Black man of driving under the influence, the incident spiraled into a heated response from onlookers, one that escalated into 34 deaths, 1000 injuries, and nearly $40 million in property damages. Tensions rose in response to the longstanding abuse of LAPD officers, and Watts, a neighborhood in southern LA, became aflame. Calls rolled into the police department, and R. Jones, a dispatcher for LAPD, was the first recipient. Thus ensued a chain of events that kicked off the Joneses’ careers in TV and print journalism. 

Soul Newspaper

Laden by the ugliness of racism and the oppression of their people, the Joneses curated a heartfelt, beautiful response to the riots: in April 1966, Soul newspaper was born. Soul was the first Music & Arts newspaper to cover Black entertainers. During a time when Black artists were erased from album covers and substituted with white faces, Soul became the mantle from which Black artists were put on display. The innovation of this medium lay in its unique approach to report on celebrities in a fashion similar to covering the daily news. The paper also specialized in highlighting artists who weren’t yet mainstream but were widely known in the Black community. This exposure gave artists a leg up into stardom.

With K. Jones being the visionary and R. Jones the executor, Soul took off, landing access to legends such as Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Jackson 5, and more. The very first issue sold out in under a week.

“I used to read Soul religiously…I used to inhale it.” -Steven Ivory, Music and Culture Journalist.

Though the Joneses worked as a team on this endeavor, even piecing together articles on their dining room table, K. Jones’s career as a TV anchor inevitably demanded his attention. R. Jones took the reins on Soul.

A Fierce Gladiator

It’s safe to say R. Jones was a woman ahead of her time. She was an attractive Black female leading, delegating, and charging full speed ahead while also in the throes of mommyhood, wifedom, and oppressive systemic racism. She set the standard for leaders everywhere. “The Gladiator” is what her subordinates called her because she was just that tenacious. Meeting deadlines, crafting stories, conducting interviews, the list goes on. R. Jones single-handedly ushered in a major move in Black literature and publishing that spotlighted musicians, actors, and other entertainers. Before Rolling Stone, there was Soul.

“Black women have been feminists in the true sense of the word for a very long time. Not out of desire, but out of necessity.” -Regina Jones

Worthy of Documentation

It isn’t until now with the release of the film that the name “Regina Jones” is meeting the lips of audiences everywhere.

What began as a quest for Emmy-award-winning filmmaker Billy Miossi to create a short film including the Watts rebellion ended in his discovery of R. Jones. After one conversation, Miossi fell in love. Award-winning cinematographer Soraya Selene soon entered the scene and was on board to co-direct. The directors, along with their team, journeyed with R. Jones in the unfolding of her story on screen. 

When asked how the directors successfully got the protagonist to share so much, they agreed, “She was just ready to tell her story.” Even when the three-year filming process was marred by the passing of her oldest son, R. Jones trudged ahead with their interviews. Just as she did with churning out 370 publications of Soul over a 16-year period, she completed the task. The yearning in her heart for this film that could help women everywhere, particularly women of color, was her burning motivation. Regardless of her personal life’s trials, R. Jones has continuously put her community ahead of herself, as seen in the creation of Soul.

Those inspired by her life transcend age, gender, race, and industry. This inspiration is engraved on the hearts of those everywhere who stand for equality, justice, and freedom.

R. Jones’s resilience, doggedness, and innovative mind are jewels to marvel at. And in the words of her grandson, Mathew, “She is worthy of documentation.”

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Nicole D. Miller is a 5x’s self-published author, tenured blogger, and novelist. She takes immense pleasure in crafting stories that intertwine Black culture and faith and looks forward to producing edifying works that will impact her community. She is also a freelance journalist for Cleveland where she writes positive stories of hope, and hosts, The Girl Talk Podcast, a platform that edifies and nourishes women leaders through dialogue. Additionally, she owns ND Miller Publishing, a hybrid book publishing company where she specializes in assisting debut authors with manifesting their book dreams. In her spare time, she loves shopping, time with friends, anything 90s R&B, and a good glass of red, dry wine. To learn more, you can visit nicoledmiller.com or email her at info@ndmillerpublishing.com.