Miss Jones, Former Smith Hill Librarian
Mary C. Jones, a beloved member and community activist of the Smith
Hill community, will be honored at Providence City Hall on January 31 as
a recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame Awards 2018.
The public awards Facebook event page) will take place in the Council
Chambers of City Hall from 5:30PM - 7:00PM and will be hosted by Mayor
Elorza. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Mary, who was affectionately known to everyone, even her own children,
as "Miss Jones", worked at Smith Hill Library for 40 years. She worked
tirelessly to help poor residents of Providence obtain better housing,
access affordable health care and health education. Miss Jones played a
key role in improving the schools in the Smith Hill area and worked with
other community leaders to find creative ways to support teachers and
create more jobs for residents.
As a librarian, Miss Jones
developed many programs promoting cultural awareness, education, health
issues and advancement for marginalized groups and people of color. When
faced with funding cuts, Miss Jones fought diligently alongside dozens
of other library staff and patrons to keep all the libraries open. Two
of the programs she introduced, the "Keep Our Families Warm Campaign,"
providing residents with seasonal winter clothing, and the Children's
Christmas Party, with free toys, food and fun, still take place every
year at Smith Hill Library.
Miss Jones served on the board of the
Neighborhood Health Center for over 35 years, was a founder of the Smith
Hill Community Development Corporation and a co-founder of CHIC, which
worked with landlords and tenants to fix up buildings. She worked with a
host of state and local politicans, including Claiborne Pell, Jack
Reed, John Pastore, Rhoda Perry and Maryellen Goodwin. She worked with
both of the Chafees as well as city mayors Joe Doorley, Buddy Cianci,
Joe Paolino, John Lombardi and David Cicilline plus all Ward 12
councilmen from the late 1960s to the present member, Councilman Terry
Hassett.
Miss Jones' lifetime achievements have been previously
recognized through the Jefferson Award and a place on the Providence
College Wall of Fame. Sadly, she now suffers from Alzheimer's Disease
and lives in a nursing home but the fruits of her work continue to grow
and flourish in Providence. Miss Jones' daughter, Althea Graves,
continues her mother's legacy of community work in Smith Hill and serves
on the Board of Providence Community Library.
RILA Bulletin Vol. 90. NO.1 (JAN 2018)
Kieran Ayton
RILA President
president@rilibraries.org
(posting with permission from the RILA President)
