Roanoke Cinemas is hosting the Premiere Showing of Chairman Jones--An Improbable Leader, a documentary film produced and directed by Northampton County, NC native, Anna Jones.

Chairman Jones tells the story of the director’s father, James Henry Jones, a self-educated farmer who emerges as a trailblazer during the 1969 school desegregation crisis in Northampton County, leading the fight to end nearly a century of inequality in education. Jones places his own children on the front lines, brings blacks and whites together for dialog, helps integration tip toe into Northampton, and transforms the educational landscape for everyone. His leadership as North Carolina’s First Black School Board Chairman introduces a new era in education and has a marked effect on racial progress in the state.

Born on a former slave plantation in 1916, Jones died in 1984, the year that the Northampton County school system received accreditation for the first time in its history, largely due to his vision and efforts. His story unfolds through his daughter’s conversations with those who participated in the integration movement and witnessed his extraordinary courage and leadership.

*Fiscally sponsored by Southern Documentary Fund, Durham, NC