On Friday, May 15, 2026, a new statue honoring civil rights advocate and legal trailblazer Alberta Odell Jones was unveiled in downtown Louisville. Jones was Kentucky’s first African American prosecutor and the state’s first female prosecutor.
Located at the Brandeis Hall of Justice Plaza on West Jefferson Street, the statue marks a historic milestone. It is the first statue commemorating a Black woman in Louisville and only the second in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Jones is revered for her contributions to Kentucky’s civil rights movement, including her efforts to educate and register Black voters. She is also remembered for negotiating a contract for her neighbor, a young boxer named Cassius Clay, who would later become Muhammad Ali.
Early Life and Education
Born and raised in Louisville, Jones attended the University of Louisville, where she majored in accounting and participated in the debating team. After earning her undergraduate degree, she worked at a fire insurance firm to save money for law school.
She initially enrolled at the University of Louisville School of Law before transferring to Howard University in Washington, D.C. While there, she volunteered to draft legislation for members of Congress to deepen her understanding of civil law. In June 1958, she graduated fourth in her class.
Breaking Barriers in Law
In 1959, Jones returned to Louisville to take the Kentucky bar exam, becoming the first Black woman in the state to pass it.
Her legal career extended far beyond the courtroom. After the 1960 Rome Olympics, she drafted Muhammad Ali’s professional contract following his gold-medal win, becoming the first woman in the United States to write a professional athlete’s contract.
Jones was also instrumental in advancing voting rights in Louisville. She personally registered approximately 6,000 Black residents at Chickasaw Park, bringing voting machines and teaching people how to split their tickets. She was an active member of the NAACP and the Louisville Urban League and worked to help integrate the University of Louisville.
On March 1, 1965, Jones made history again when she became an assistant prosecutor in Louisville’s Domestic Relations Court, becoming the first Black woman prosecutor in Kentucky.
Relentless Determination
In a 1965 profile in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Jones reflected on her journey to this historic appointment. “When I got back home, a lot of people said, ‘You’ve got two strikes against you. You’re a woman, and you’re a Negro,’” she told the paper. “Yeah, but I’ve got one strike left, and I’ve seen people hit home runs when all they’ve got left is one strike.”
She also recalled returning home to take the bar exam, where a photographer and a representative from the State Board of Bar Examiners were waiting to witness the moment.
“I was completely demoralized at first. If I had known how much was depending on me, I would have studied harder — and I would have worn something different,” she said.
A Life Cut Short
Jones’ tenure was tragically brief. In the summer of 1965, just months after her appointment, she was murdered at the age of 34. Her body was later found in the Ohio River.
According to early reports, Jones left her home late at night after receiving a call from a friend but never returned. Her car was discovered just blocks away.
Louisville police found bloodstains, fingerprints and brick fragments in the vehicle, which had been parked near where her body was recovered. Investigators concluded she had been struck with a brick, thrown from the Sherman Minton Bridge and drowned. An autopsy confirmed the cause of death.
Nearly 400 people were interviewed, including the friend Jones planned to meet, who said she left around 2 a.m. and was never considered a suspect. Two witnesses reported seeing two men force a screaming woman into a car matching Jones’ vehicle.
Authorities explored multiple motives, including her work as a prosecutor, her voter registration efforts, a possible robbery or retaliation tied to her support of Clay.
Three years later, Jones’ purse was found on the bridge intact but missing cash. Despite renewed attention in 2008, including FBI involvement and a potential suspect who maintained his innocence, the case yielded no results. Due to lost evidence and unavailable witnesses, the investigation stalled, and her murder remains unsolved.
Legacy and Lasting Impact
Despite her tragic death, Jones’ impact endures. During the 2020 protests in Louisville following the death of Breonna Taylor, banners featuring her image were displayed on the River City Bank building by Bellarmine University professor Lee Remington, underscoring the long history of Black women’s activism in the city.
Attorney Pat O’Connell led the effort to memorialize Jones with a bronze statue. With her family’s approval, he commissioned Oklahoma City-based sculptor LaQuincey Reed to create the piece. More than $125,000 was raised to bring the project to life.
Before the unveiling, O’Connell spoke about the delayed recognition. “I think it’s a disgrace that it has taken this long for Alberta to be remembered and recognized,” he said. “I felt this compulsion that this needed to happen for the whole community, but I especially want the lawyers to be aware of who this woman was.”
Jones’ sister, Flora Shanklin, attended the unveiling and reflected on her legacy. “I know everybody hollers about Muhammad Ali being the greatest,” Shanklin said. “But to me, she’s the greatest, and she can’t be topped.”
Her grandniece, Nicole Miller, also spoke at the ceremony.
“She’s a woman of many firsts; the banner hangs, the statue is done,” Miller said. “The park is done — but what about a highway?”
The statue joins a growing list of tributes across Louisville, including Alberta O. Jones Park in the California neighborhood, a mock courtroom named in her honor at Central High School and a conference room bearing her name at the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office.
