Donald Jones, a Baltimore native, is a Professor of Law at the University of Miami.

Professor Jones, who has taught Constitutional Law and Criminal Procedure at the law school for over thirty years, has published numerous articles in leading law journals including Georgetown, University of Michigan, and Vanderbilt University.

In 1997 Professor Jones was awarded the James Thomas prize by Yale University recognizing him as one the nation’s foremost scholars on civil rights issues. Reaching out to audiences beyond the ivory tower Professor Jones has published three books. His first book, about the plight of black men is entitled Race, Sex and Suspicion; the Myth of the Black Male (2005). His second book entitled Fear of a Hip-Hop Planet: America’s New Dilemma is about how and why social identity is no longer black and white but has become a spectrum that includes not only race but culture. His third book Dangerous Spaces: Beyond the Racial Profile(2016) looks at racial profiling in the 21st century. His fourth book, The Presumption: Racial Injustice in the United States is due out this spring.

Professor Jones is a frequent commentator on local and national issues involving civil and political rights and has appeared on local and national television hundreds of times He is also a frequent contributor to the editorial pages of THE MIAMI HERALD, THE HUFFINGTON POST, and THE SOUTH FLORIDA TIMES where he is a regular contributor.

Professor Jones has taken a leadership role on many civil rights issues. In 2003 Professor Jones, in conjunction with efforts by then Senator Fredericka Wilson, led an investigation into the impact of high stakes testing in inner city schools. In the same year Professor Jones was hired as a constitutional expert to draft the affirmative action plan for minority contracting in Miami-Dade County. In 2006 he was retained by the City of Miami to review their policy on deadly force. In 2007 Professor Jones was recognized by the National Bar Association as the “Outstanding Member” for that year. In 2009 Professor Jones was recognized as one of the most influential blacks in South Florida by Success Magazine. In more recent years Professor jones has been retained numerous times by Miami-Dade School Board to assist as an advisor in their programs to maximize inclusion of minority businesses in their construction efforts.

Professor Jones has lectured nationally for many years. Professor Jones has been a keynote or featured speaker for the American Bar Association, the Law and Society Association, the National Bar Association, The Florida Association of State Judges, The National NAACP Convention, and many others. Professor Jones has also Lectured internationally: at the University of Berlin, the University of Vienna, Charles University, in the Czech Republic and the University of Rome. Professor Jones continues to be a sought-after speaker at many universities.

When not writing or teaching, Professor Jones enjoys bike riding, theatre, chess, and listening to jazz.