Meet Jesse ‘Be’ Jones
I’m Jesse ‘Be’ Jones—an educator, editor, creative director, entrepreneur, and storyteller from New Orleans, by way of Mobile. I care about how people come to understand themselves, whose stories they encounter, and what they believe is possible.
Some of my earliest lessons came long before I stood in front of a classroom. A childhood brain tumor interrupted my fourth grade year. Surgery left a scar, and self-consciousness lingered long after recovery. Learning to feel comfortable being seen—and to trust my own voice—has been part of my growth ever since.
More than a decade in education has given me opportunities to help young people develop that confidence, too. In classrooms, on basketball courts and flag football fields, and through athletic leadership, I’ve helped students build their abilities and connect opportunity with responsibility. Helping launch and support Scotlandville Magnet High School’s first student-led café gave that work another setting: students putting their ideas into practice and contributing to something of their own.
Creating opportunities to learn has also shaped my program management and site leadership work, from after-school programs and youth esports to a technology summit for older adults. Helping produce JOLTcon’s 2025 Conference offered another way to bring people together around learning, creativity, and possibility.
Working in communities has also meant paying attention to the stories that deserve to be told. As a communications and media relations volunteer with the American Red Cross, I documented fire-damaged homes, wrote feature articles and press releases, and shared stories of volunteers and community impact. As co-editor of Rebirth Magazine, I help shape the themes, features, and images our readers encounter. Hosting a public conversation about Kanye West at NOLA Art Bar brought that interest in storytelling and culture into a room where people could explore ideas together.
Giving overlooked voices more room—and preserving the legacies people leave—led me to found Good Soil: A Social Enterprise. Through The Contrasting Truths Project, that interest extends to the stories we carry within ourselves: the beliefs we inherit, the experiences that shape them, and how they influence our lives. I invite people to examine those questions while continuing to ask them of myself.
BLKxLIGHT brings these interests into something people can carry into everyday life. Since founding the brand in 2016, I’ve guided its creative direction through clothing, artist collaborations, and photojournals celebrating Black History, Culture, Creativity, and Possibility. Knowing who came before us can expand what we imagine for ourselves. My aim is to create something people can wear with pride, learn from, reflect on, and see themselves in.
Where there is no BLK, there is no LIGHT.
BLKxLIGHT’s Photojournal Entry, The Black Male Educator, illustrates and celebrates Black Men shaping young minds—and the power of seeing someone who looks like them leading the classroom.
Helping young people discover where their interests can lead is central to my work. In this 2025 Louisiana First News interview, I shared the purpose behind JOLTcon Conference.
As a Non-Profit Program Manager, I helped launch and sustain Scotlandville Magnet High School’s first student-led café during the 2024–25 school year, supporting a hands-on opportunity for students to put their learning into practice.
I co-planned JOLTcon, a youth entrepreneurship and esports conference, contributing to an experience that connected young people with opportunities beyond the classroom. My work included moderating panels and facilitating sessions focused on storytelling, leadership, and entrepreneurship.