By Asia Nail
The Truth Reporter
Some stories begin subtly, scribbles on paper, a voice speaking from the page, a young woman leaning into the world with curiosity. For Brittany D. Jones, PhD, that beginning was here at The Sojourner’s Truth. Back in 2008 and 2009, she wrote for our publication, diving into topics that mattered to the community. Many still remember her bold series on natural hair, where she didn’t just write about hairstyles—she wrote about identity, confidence and survival.
Brittany’s words carried a rhythm. She didn’t just report facts; she painted pictures. She made people see themselves and each other with more dignity. At the time, she was just starting out, but even then, you could tell her work was building toward something greater.
Today, Jones sits on Toledo City Council as an At-Large Council Member, representing the very people she once wrote about. Her path from writer to scholar to public servant was never a straight line. Instead, it has been shaped by bends, storms, and seasons, yet every step carried her forward.
The Scholar Who Asked About Survival
Before she began writing for the paper, Jones earned her undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and then went on to the University of Toledo, where she earned her PhD. Her studies were not abstract or distant. She focused on food, stress and survival—the stuff of everyday life.
Now, think about this for a moment: these are not partisan issues, they are human issues. Whether Democrat, Republican or somewhere in between, everyone knows what it feels like to worry about putting food on the table, to have stress keep you awake at night and what it means to fight, in your own way, just to make it through.
Jones’ research gave her a front-row seat to the quiet battles people face. She looked at how survival is shaped not just by willpower but by systems: grocery stores that close early, bus routes that don’t reach neighborhoods, schools that struggle to feed children healthy meals. She saw how survival is linked to dignity—and dignity, she believes, is what people need most to thrive.
“It’s about listening,” Jones explains. “Survival doesn’t look the same for everyone, but the human need for dignity is universal.”
Her words remind us of something easy to forget in today’s noisy world: we are all human first.
A Council Seat and a Chance to Serve
On February 28, 2024, Jones was appointed to Toledo City Council. It was not a role she chased for the spotlight; it was a role she accepted because she felt called to serve.
She walked into those chambers carrying not just policy notes and campaign goals, but also memories of the people she grew up with—the neighbors who inspired her, and the readers who once wrote back to her as a young journalist.
Initially appointed as an At-Large Council Member, Jones was later elected by residents in November 2024 to fill-out the remainder of the unexpired term. Since then, Brittany has not been sitting still. She serves as the vice chair of the Housing & Community Development Committee, and she is also a member of the Parks, Education, Recreation, & Health Committee, the Regional Growth, Development, & Small Business Enterprise Committee, and the Zoning & Planning Committee.
During her time on council, Jones has prioritized improving neighborhood safety, bringing supportive resources to families and making city systems work better for everyday people. These are not glamorous victories, but they are the kind that change daily life. Streetlights that work. Parks that feel safe. Meetings where residents feel heard.
From Service to Leadership
Brittany Jones’ career path has its foundation laid with both service and scholarship. At United Way of Greater Toledo, she first worked as a Survey & Evaluation Analyst in the Community Analytics Research Department, turning numbers into narratives that could guide better policies. Today, as Senior Director of Impact & Evaluation, she helps lead the charge in making sure every dollar, every initiative, every effort truly changes lives.
Beyond city hall and United Way, Dr. Jones is the founder of Growing Back To Your Roots, a grassroots organization that builds community through targeting food injustice while restoring ecological stability via enhanced local food economies. She has taught future leaders at the University of Toledo, managed housing programs that rebuilt homes and renewed hope and conducted research spotlighting poverty and inequity.
Her resume is impressive, but her heart is what people remember.
Leadership That Crosses Lines
Jones often describes herself as a “bridge-builder,” connecting people who might never sit at the same table—residents and researchers, policymakers and parents, dreamers and doers.
“When we strip away the noise of politics, what’s left is our responsibility to care for one another. Humanity is not red or blue—it is flesh and blood, breath and spirit. We cannot forget that.”
She focuses on people over politics.
“At the end of the day, we all want the same things—safe neighborhoods, strong families, and opportunities for our children. My role is to help create pathways for that, no matter who you are or how you vote.”
Her professional journey is as varied as it is impactful. From overseeing home reconstruction as Housing Programs Manager to fighting childhood hunger, every role she has held reflects a simple but profound belief: people matter.
The Heart of Humanity
In a world that often feels fractured, leaders like Brittany help us see that even broken pieces can reflect light. Her journey from writer to scholar to council member reminds us that service begins with small acts—an article, a question, a listening ear—and grows into something larger than yourself.
The current political landscape in our country is tender. Recent acts of violence have shaken communities across the nation. Regardless of party lines, harm done to anyone, no matter their beliefs, is harm to all of us.
Yet too often, we treat suffering as if it belongs on someone else’s street or is someone else’s problem. Jones’ work in housing, food access and community development, shows us another way. She reminds us, “Compassion is not charity, it’s architecture. It builds stronger blocks, stronger cities, stronger nations.”
Lessons from Natural Hair
It may sound simple, but Brittany’s early writing about natural hair still speaks volumes today. She wrote about the pride and challenges that come with wearing your hair the way it grows. She told stories that helped people feel seen.
That series was not just about hair. It was about freedom—the freedom to be yourself without shame. It was about survival in a society that sometimes asks you to hide. And it was about resilience, the quiet strength of saying, “This is who I am.”
In many ways, these diverse lessons prepared Brittany Jones for public life. Leading with honesty. Showing up as yourself. Fighting for the dignity of others.
Why She Wants to Keep Serving
As Brittany seeks re-election, her focus is not on ideology. She talks about finishing the projects she started, about building systems that last, and about making sure no one feels forgotten in the city she loves.
She believes public service is about leaving a place better than you found it. Not perfect. Not finished. Just better.
When asked why she is running again, she says: “I’m running for re-election because I believe in building solutions that cross divides and actually make a difference in people’s everyday lives.”
Her words are calm, but they carry weight. Leadership, she shows, is not about being the loudest voice in the room, it’s about being the most attentive listener.
A Call to Care
Brittany’s story is about more than her. It is about us. About what happens when we remember that we are neighbors first, and voters second. About what happens when we care for each other not because we agree, but because we are human.
And her call to the community is one we should all hear: care for each other. Care enough to listen. Care enough to disagree without hate. Care enough to show up for one another when it matters most.
It is about holding each other up when the world tries to pull us down.
If there is one thing Dr. Brittany D. Jones wants us to know, it is this: we are all in this together. When we care, when we vote, when we act, we plant seeds for a stronger future. Every choice to show up, every decision to listen, every effort to help, builds a world worth passing on.
The 2025 General Election is set for Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Early voting begins Tuesday, October 7, 2025, and continues through Monday, November 3, 2025. Learn more about early voting in Ohio