Show Up! Stand Up! Speak Up!
Christina Jones was elected to Raleigh City Council in November of 2022. She has spent the last two years serving as a conduit of information between residents and City Government. Her passion is teaching residents how to make their voices heard.
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 of the last few years, is that she has been 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 2 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, along with RPD and RFD. These meetings helped her learn about interactive ways to learn 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 divisions 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 do what we can. This is the city she wants to leave for our children and she believes that residents should have a seat at the table for those conversations.
The partnerships we build within our community and the conversations that help create new ideas are the foundation of a great city. Christina is proud to call Raleigh home and be afforded the opportunity to learn about City Governance. Her ability to connect people to organizations that can help amplify their message is what brought her to consider running for City Council in Raleigh. She has been an active participant in city leadership from classes, to study groups, to City Boards, and is proud to put that work to the test by representing the residents of District E. Let’s build a council that will put the community's voice ahead of political agendas.