Jon-Laurence Fleming Class of ‘22

STUDENT LEADER, RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES,
MARS HILL UNIVERSITY

Jon-Laurence, better known as JL, Fleming is as unique as his name. JL is a rising senior at Mars Hill University, studying integrated health science and physical therapy. He is highly motivated to pursue racial justice initiatives within the education systems of his campus community, and the community as a whole. By pursuing a Bonner placement working on K through 12 partnerships with ROAR (Rural Organizing and Resilience), he hopes to start and keep the conversation going regarding social/racial justice in and out of the classroom.

JL grew up in a small predominantly Black neighborhood with two working parents until his mother fell ill during his time in high school. He grew up listening to stories of his hard-working grandfather who made a living picking oranges, however, it was clear that his family wanted him to work hard and pursue higher education.

“I was trying to balance my workload, especially in a private school, which is really hard and tough to do, but managed to persevere,” JL explained.

JL had attended his local public school until transferring to a predominantly white private school during his middle through high school years. Through football and multiple semesters on the Dean’s list, JL managed to get a scholarship, but not without his fair share of hardship.

“You gotta be the smartest one there, man. You gotta prove yourself, work hard and show them what you mean because white people sometimes will look down on you one day,” JL’s father said about him attending a private Christian school.

JL said he encountered prejudice in his time there, as well as obvious equity gaps between different races, this is what spurred him to pursue this project at Mars Hill.

“This is why I got so wrapped up in social justice,” he said.

Once JL had begun his college education, he noted significant gaps and dilutions regarding history, especially Black history, that he experienced during his K through 12 education. So, he began to combat that gap in Madison County, North Carolina using the Racial Justice Community Funds.

“Our group really decided to get some curriculum going for other schools because since Mars Hill is in such a rural area, they don't have a lot of stuff on Black history,” JL explained. “We wanted to educate people on racism, all the discrimination, and privilege-- everything we could about racial justice.”

Team members JL Fleming and Sam Thomas deliver books to local schools.

The team accomplished this through interacting and communicating with teachers and distributing books, such as The Hate You Give, that would aid in starting broader racial justice discussions with middle and high schoolers.

They asked questions such as, how can we better help you understand Black history, and what can be done to better prepare students for in-depth history courses at college.

JL and his team also prioritized civic engagement within the community, by helping citizens register to vote in Madison County, North Carolina.

“We also did phone banking with Down-Home North Carolina to talk to people and get them out to the polls for early voting,” JL said.

Even so, his favorite contribution and impact to the project and community were passing the proclamation and Black History Month resolution with the mayoral council and staff. His team worked on the proclamation throughout December and January.

JL said, for the most part, he enjoyed support from his university, community, and invaluable team members Sam Thomas and Amber Vernon.

“We actually had the town manager reach out and ask us if we’d like to put together this proclamation for racial and social justice,” he said. “It's even more impactful than they wanted it done.”

JL said he didn’t even know where the town hall was at first, but that made interactions even more impactful as he began to build relationships with the Alderman council.

“It was hard at first because you know, we never made a proclamation,” JL said. “It was interesting how we came together and built something that would be perfect for the town.”

Next year, JL and his team want to keep the momentum going by pursuing some unfinished goals they had from this year. They hope to establish an internship opportunity for high schoolers and spearhead a guided book group between Mars Hill University students and high schoolers.

To read more about the team’s work at Mars Hill University with the Madison County Racial Justice Coalition, visit here.