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Christina Racquel Jones, grew up in Orlando, Florida, as the daughter of 1st and 2nd Generation Americans, with family hailing from Puerto Rico. Growing up, Christina pursued interests in the fine arts and studied theatre during high school and college- where she went on to graduate from Southern Methodist University in 2007 with a B.F.A.
After meeting her husband, Adam, they moved to Raleigh in 2012 and were married. In 2020, after working in the restaurant industry for 10 years, practically her entire company was laid off due to the pandemic. Being a young family with two phenomenal daughters, Annalise and Elizabeth, she had to pivot very quickly to virtual schooling. Learning to navigate the school curriculum became her new full time job. The silver lining to the stress was that she was able to focus her attention and passion to community engagement. Going through life with her multiple layers of friendships which have grown from neighbors, moms groups, and nonprofits; Christina is proud of the community she has built. “It takes a village” is the mantra that has gotten so many of us through the struggle that has been the last few years!
After the 2016 Presidential election, she realized that local elections are where decisions that affect her everyday life were made. She participated in the “Community Conversations”, in which each council district held a discussion between residents and city staff. These meetings introduced her to interactive ways of learning about the city. She then completed two courses offered through the City, Raleigh Neighborhood College and Citizens Leadership Academy, which taught people about Raleigh’s inner-workings from different departments of the city. It was during this time that Christina grew her understanding of municipal government and began building relationships with Raleigh City staff, former and current councilors, and other like-minded residents, eager to make a difference in Raleigh.
In 2017, Christina won the Chairperson seat for the North West CAC. Citizens Advisory Councils gave residents a platform to hear from City departments and Council Members, as well as a place to have their voices heard on big decisions about the future of Raleigh. Here, she served as the conduit of information between residents and the city, in one of 18 individual chapters throughout Raleigh. After serving as Vice Chairperson for the governing body of all CACs for a year, Christina was voted in as Chairperson in the summer of 2019. This organization helped define her understanding of current policy and connect her to those who would later place her on the Raleigh Parks Board, Blue Ridge Corridor Alliance, and many other non-profits throughout the community.
Christina decided that she wanted to be part of the solution to our substitute teaching shortage and became certified in December of 2021. She has spent time in elementary, middle, and high schools and understands that we can’t wish our problems away, we have to build community and create our own solutions. This is the city she wants to leave for her children and she believes that residents should have a seat at the table for those conversations.
After City Council disbanded CACs in February of 2020, Christina joined the Parks Board and spoke at Public Comments 44 times, in total. It was important to her that Council not forget that residents have the right to be heard and part of the decision making process. She decided to run for District E for the November 2022 election because she wanted to be the kind of representative that she wished she'd had. By a margin of about 760 votes, Christina won her first election and began her work on City Council. Immediately, she recognized that there was no playbook to being a City Councilor. She decided to create her own and relied on her experience in the classes she took with the City of Raleigh to develop a program for the 4 new councilors that introduced them to every department and included a working shift with Police, Fire, 911, Stormwater, and Solid Waste.
During her first term, Christina focused on learning and listening to every person interested in having a conversation. She hosted monthly community meetings, became very active in her liaison roles with boards and commissions, and reached out to non profits and businesses in an effort to help build bridges. She helped to lead District E in approving 280 affordable housing units between 20%-70% Annual Median Income (AMI) in two years, and built relationships with developers who are committed to solving the housing crisis for those who need it the most. One of her proudest moments has been making the motion to bring back CACs on the 4 year anniversary of their disbandment. All 8 councilors voted to approve and beginning in April '24 Christina met with city staff and CAC leadership to work on what reinstatement can look like for the future of CACs. There is a lot more work to do and we are laying the foundation of leadership and governance that will, hopefully, strengthen the CAC organization and their relationship with both city staff and residents of Raleigh. Christina decided to run for re-election in November of 2024 and by a margin of over 1400 votes, she won her second election.