![]() She spent days at the Library of Congress. When Jones realized she “needed to learn more,” she returned to Chicago and spent hours looking for articles, Jones said. “I just knew I wanted this film to go all way and finish it so it could be on the screen and people could see it,” Jones said. Throughout the years, Jones wrote two books, worked on a television show, directed a play and launched online courses to fund her passion project, she said. But her grandfather’s story was “always in the back of my head,” she said. I wanted to see the repercussions of the story of the Policy Kings compared to how it was then and today.” Credit: Harriet Marin Jones Harriet Marin Jones poses with musician Quincy Jones featured in her documentary, “King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones.” ‘Robin Hood Of Chicago’Īfter studying at Loyola, Jones didn’t return to Chicago for years. “I wanted to have people that knew my grandfather, but also people today. “I wanted to do a documentary where I mixed all the generations,” Jones said. ![]() Jones melded interviews with civil rights activist Timuel Black and musician Quincy Jones with commentary from Jones’ descendants to tell a historical and family story for the film. The game laid the foundation for what eventually became the Illinois State Lottery, the numbers game legalized in 1974. Through interviews, archival footage, newspaper clippings, family photos and animation, “King of Kings” tells the story of Edward Jones, a descendant of slaves who moved to Chicago in the early 20th century and created a $25 million empire as the leader of Policy syndicate. Jones will host a Q&A session with attendees after the film. Friday at the Hamilton Park Cultural Center, 513 W. Neighbors in Englewood can attend a free screening 6:30 p.m. ![]() The documentary premiered this week at the Chicago International Film Festival. The Policy kings ruled the neighborhoods and wielded tremendous influence in Chicago. The illegal racket thrived as thousands of people paid small amounts of money - sometimes a penny - for a chance to hit the daily number drawn from a spinning cylinder to make big bucks. That question continued to rejuvenize Jones on her 10-year journey to create “Kings of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones,” a documentary disclosing the untold story of Policy in Chicago and the Black men behind it. I started wondering what the whole story was. “When I told him he was my grandfather, he asked if I knew my grandfather used to run the Policy business in Chicago, went to prison and was kidnapped. “He asked me if I was related to Edward Jones,” Jones said. She was living with her grandmother when classmate Nicholas Ford - who later became a Cook County Circuit Court judge - picked her up and learned her grandmother’s name was Lydia Jones. The stories ended there.Ī 17, Jones moved to Chicago for a year to study at Loyola University. She knew he was African American and an “amazing man,” she said. Growing up in Europe, Jones’ mother rarely spoke of her grandfather. ENGLEWOOD - Harriet Marin Jones had no idea her grandfather was a Chicago history maker.
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