Walter JONES

Walter Jones, a native Chicagoan, (1952 -) has written his first novel.

“Dreams can come true, but it probably won’t happen as you first imagined. No one could have told me a novel I started when I was in my forties would come to fruition in my sixties. Or that I would go from golden boy to ‘I‘m sorry. You are extremely qualified for the position, but we are considering other candidates.’ Or that I would face years of doubt and criticism from relatives and friends.”

The sixth child of Mary Louise Spillman and Russell Donald Jones Jr., Walter grew up in two predominately African American communities, Morgan Park and Chatham. The Spillmans were one of the first African American families to settle in Chicago; they owned homes and businesses and took care of their neighborhoods.

By the mid-1960s, the civil rights movement was in full swing. Housing projects had been built and crime was on the rise. By the time Walter graduated from Chicago State University (psychology), the peace he had known in his youth was a memory.

Walter had high hopes that he could make a difference when he began his career at the Austin Chicago YMCA before becoming the first black executive at Lawson YMCA Metro Chicago. He ended his YMCA career at the historical Black Washington Park. Thereafter, he worked at Habitat Boulevard LLC and then ventured out on his own to found his own construction company.

“Working in public service, I watched my people falling into materialistic, superficial, and destructive traps. I was surprised and humbled to find I was no exception. When my construction business failed, I had to reassess myself and my life. For years I had focused on the image I wanted my children and others to have of me, not on the man I truly was. I began to reflect on the people who had profoundly influenced my life.”

BLUE began to take form as Walter wrote about the African American life of his youth—the beauty, majesty, brilliance, and courage of his people. He suddenly realized he was rebuilding that which he had lost, a love of self and humanity. To support his family, he took odd jobs. Ultimately he joined a security company, where he works to this day.

“As my greatest advocate, my mother read my first draft of BLUE before her death in 1995 and made me promise to complete it. Little did I know she was freeing me from BLUE and showing me how long the path can be to freedom, but I learned, and I am grateful.”