The 20-Year-Old Councilman Hoping To Change His Hometown For The Better

Going onto the news this week all I could see was the very depressing updates on the Paris attacks and to be honest, I didn't want to write about such a depressing story twice in a row. Whilst researching, I made a vow that I would find a news article this week that was uplifting and inspiring. It took a while but...

20-Year-Old Jewell Jones seeks to foster relationships between the police and the community

Huffington Post

Jewell Jones is a city councilman who still needs to finish his homework each night, but he has big ideas for improving his community.

The 20-year-old made history when he was sworn in Monday as the youngest person to ever sit on the City Council of Inkster, Michigan, a town nestled on the outskirts of Detroit. Jones, who represents the city’s 4th District, is also a full-time student at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Now if isn't inspiring then I don't know what is. Jones states he "begun dabbling in politics" around the age of 8 and that his parents "would drag him around different things in the community" meaning that serving people in his local area became very natural to him. 

Some people have questioned his experience and ability to lead, Jones says, because of his young age. But he isn't worried about being unprepared. "I have quite a lot of responsibility and roles right now that I've had for quite some time now," Jones said. "It kind of molded me to be good at this job."

This story is so inspiration on the level that being so young and being so involved with his local politics is amazing. Did I also mention he is an African American?

This alone adds to why this story is so heart-warming as he completely smashes the typical young black male stereotype in the US. Additionally, the past 5 years haven't been at all appealing to the black community due to the many deaths and murder of African American males and women mainly at the hands of police and law enforcement officers which is also another reason why Jones' campaign to create better relationships with the black community and police officers so amazing. And comments from other readers under the article agree with me....with many applauding him for being a "fine young man" and others "wishing him all the success in the world". You never know, you could be looking at your second African American US president.