SJR25 Summary

• Posthumously honors Shandy Wesley Jones (1816-1886) for his contributions as a prominent historical figure in Alabama history.

• Jones was born enslaved on a Madison County plantation and emancipated in 1820; he became one of the richest Black men in Alabama by the 1860s through operating a barbershop in Tuscaloosa.

• Served as an abolitionist in the Alabama Legislature and Tuscaloosa's first elected Black official; founded Hunter's Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church in 1866 and established a school for African Americans.

• Appointed inspector at the Mobile Custom House by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1871 and served in that position for 13 years; later served as pastor of Little Zion A.M.E. Zion Church from 1883-1884.

• Directs that Jones' family receive a copy of this resolution; a dedication ceremony was held February 1, 2017, to unveil his headstone at Mobile's Magnolia Cemetery.