The Man Who Kept Dr. Martin Luther King’s Secrets

In Memoriam: Dr. Clarence B. Jones, 1931–2026

Dr. Clarence B. Jones, civil-rights attorney, author, trusted adviser to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and a beloved mentor to many, took his final bow in May 2026 at the age of 95.  Clarence wrote the pre-amble to one of the most consequential speeches in American history. He penned the first 7 paragraphs of the “I Have A Dream” speech before Dr. King went off script.

For DreamDevelopment, Clarence was more than a historic figure.  One of DreamDevelopment’s earliest clients, supporters and chosen family; he claimed me as a goddaughter (I am one among many more well known than I). He offered all of us a lasting lesson in how to shape history without needing the spotlight: listen closely, draft carefully, stand firm, and stay when the cameras leave.

This page remains  my record of his extraordinary life, work, and the stories he carried forward. 

                              “The opportunity of a lifetime. . .”

That’s what Dr. Clarence B. Jones called his work with Dr. King – “the opportunity of a lifetime.”

I would come to feel the same way when Clarence first walked into my life free from a cancer diagnosis and ready for his next season. This was years before I had the pleasure of working with him under DreamDevelopment. At the time, he, Voza Rivers (producer of Sarafina!) and I would plot, plan and strategize on Strivers Row in Harlem, USA. I knew with Voza and Clarence, I had a birds eye view to greatness.

When I launched DreamDevelopment, Clarence was living with the burden of writing, his first book, “What Would Martin Say?” Helping create the conditions (moving to Palo Alto, becoming a Scholar-in-residence at Stanford) so that he could receive funds from Sanford Weil who sponsored his writing of the book, became part of my DreamDevelopment magic. From his 75th to 77th birthdays our work led to a high-profile Vanity Fair article, a professorship at Stanford University, and the publication, “What Would Martin Say?”

I learned the DreamDevelopment blueprint in these moments. I learned the opportunity is in the gap and I helped take his relationships and structure that gap. Ultimately, Palo Alto would become the location of his final chapter.

We lost touch.

In 2023, after chatting with Voza, I gave Clarence a call. He answered and our next and final chapter began.

“Sonya, I really need to finish my memoir. There are not many of us left. I sold the rights to the story and I need to get the book published.”

So I added him to the UTASpeakers roster, activated a paid podcast and speaker strategy with the resources I had available and got to work. A dear friend in publishing gave me the reality check about the industry at that time and his age. She said an academic press might have an interest.

Enter Redhawk Publications. Located in my family’s home town of Hickory, North Carolina, the President and Founder, Richard Eller couldn’t believe I was calling him. Honored, he saw this as . . .”an opportunity of a lifetime. . .”

We had found the right partner. Redhawk engaged UNC Press to ensure we published hardback copy of the book. Another well-known angel, paid the co writer and we were on our way. The book made it to the shelves in time for the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington.

This final season would not have been complete without Ben Hill. The fall of 2022, Clarence introduced me to Ben, when Ben stopped in to support an event including Clarence and Bryan Stevenson at the University of San Francisco. Ben chatted with me about the book and how to support Clarence’s legacy. I encouraged him to take a visit to Palo Alto, to sit with him and his family. By Spring of 2023, Ben went on to become Dr. Jones, Chief of Staff.

Over this lifetime, Dr. Jones received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association and had the honor of being the subject of Steph Curry’s first documentary, The Baddest Speechwriter of All which went on to win at Sundance. Even if his film has not been made yet, this story has been told.

One of DreamDevelopment’s earliest clients and supporters, and godfather to many. He taught that movements are not built only by people who speak the loudest. They are built by people who listen closely, draft carefully, and stay when the cameras leave. Clarence once called me a “wintertime soldier,” a phrase Dr. King used for him. I will carry that charge forward.

Rest, Clarence. The wintertime soldiers will keep marching.