User:Pk5946/sandbox

Basheer Jones (born October 25,1984) is currently the Councilman of Cleveland’s 7th Ward. Basheer Jones was elected in November 2017, becoming the city’s first Muslim council representative. He represents an area which includes the historic Hough district, as well as the St. Clair-Superior, Midtown and Asia Town neighborhoods.

Early Life and Career
Councilman Jones was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and moved to Cleveland with his family when he was a child. Jones and his family were homeless for most of his youth and were greatly assisted by the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter for Women and Children. This experience profoundly shaped Jones’s outlook on life. He often tells the story of how his late mother, Imani, would take him and his siblings to shelters to help feed other homeless families. From that, Jones learned a valuable lesson; “No matter how bad you think you have it, someone has it worse.” The Jones family eventually found housing in the Hough district of Cleveland. He graduated Cum Laude in 2006 from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA with a degree in African-American studies.

Jones' childhood experiences continue to drive his on-going efforts to help others in need through public service. Jones has been recognized nationally for his grass-roots activism relating to social justice issues and empowering those who are left out of the “American Dream”. During the 2008 presidential election, Councilman Jones hosted rallies in Cleveland for Barack Obama and organized a youth voter registration drive in Cleveland.

Jones authored the  book, “I’ll Speak for Change” and is the creator of the Be the Change Leadership Series, in which he holds leadership and character development workshops within various school systems throughout the state of Ohio.

He has also received various awards for his work, including the “Emerging Leader” award from U.S. Representative, Marcia Fudge, and the National Urban League’s “Distinguished Men” award. Councilman Jones is a member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Jones was also the youngest news talk radio show host for "Basheer Jones and Company" on WERE AM/1490 News Talk Radio and Street Soldiers on WENZ FM/107.9 until 2010. He has also been a guest correspondent on CNN, MSNBC, and CSPAN as well as a TEDx Talk speaker.

Ward 7 Councilman
In 2017, Jones narrowly defeated TJ Dow to become the Cleveland’s first Muslim council representative. Since then, he has been focusing on the economic redevelopment and revitalization of the 7th Ward into vibrant and thriving community. Some of the more prominent projects include:


 * 1) The Birthing Beautiful Communities in Hough
 * 2) The relocation of the Cleveland Foundation to Ward 7
 * 3) $30 Million Student Housing Project
 * 4) First Minority Owned Development Project Building Homes on Chester Ave
 * 5) Opening of Salaam Clinic to provide quality healthcare and wellness for those with no or limited access to health insurance
 * 6) Opening of The Imani Food Distribution Center

Councilman Jones has also been notable in his activism against the poor conditions and treatment of inmates in the Cuyahoga County Jail and his promotion and aid of minority owned businesses.