Cleon Jones On MLK Day

Growing up in segregated Mobile, AL, Cleon Jones experienced first hand the things Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought against for his entire life.

“He battled for our rights,” Cleon told me over the phone today. “Without his dedication to the cause and the sacrifices he made during his life I never would had the career that I did.”

Jones, one of the stars of the 1969 Miracle Mets, will spend today thinking about Dr. King Jr. and what he meant to the Civil Rights movement.

“He was such a courageous man and a dynamic speaker,” Cleon added in our conversation. “When I experienced discrimination along the way, I always fell back on Dr. King’s words to keep my going. My only regret is that I never got a chance to meet him in person.”