Celebrating Verneata Jones aka Aunt V– A Mother and Friend to Many
The month of February marked Black History Month, and as part of the 2026 celebration, the Community News Brief focused on Black women in the region who have made it their mission to serve their communities and make a difference, sometimes under challenging circumstances.
Even amidst the challenges, their dedication to others hasn't faltered.
As Black History Month morphs into Women's History Month, the theme centers on women who are driving, or have driven, sustainability efforts across social justice and other sectors to create a more equitable future. The Community News Brief is proud to round out its series on Black Women Trailblazers with the woman known around town as Aunt V.
People might remember from many years ago Sadie Moon aka 'Mother Moon,' nicknamed as such because she had been like a mother to many children.
She reached out whenever there was the opportunity to better the lives of others, and she treated all children as if they were hers even though she was raising children of her own. Today, one could see a modern-day Mother Moon, or rather, Mother Jones, in Verneata D. Jones, fondly known as Aunt V.
The Journey to Macomb Jones, who is in her 70s, was born in Galesburg and was raised in the Knox County community, roughly 60 miles northeast of Macomb. She married and remained in Galesburg to care for her ailing mother. Following her mother's death, she and her husband, along with their son, Shawn, moved to Ohio. After divorcing her husband and remarrying him once more, it was less-than-ideal circumstances that eventually brought Jones from Ohio to Macomb in the early 1990s.
She had aunts, uncles and cousins living here – an uncle was married to a McGruder and another uncle was married to a Huston – along with nieces and nephews, and since most of her family was gone from Galesburg, Jones felt right at home in Macomb and she had also spent time as a child during the summer in Macomb with her cousins. She put in applications at both Western Illinois University and NTN Bower, and whoever picked her first was where she was going. Jones retired from Bower in 2018 after serving close to 25 years as a set-up operator, working third shift for much of her career.
'When I started, Bower's was not a diverse organization. I was about the sixth Black female to be hired, following Pat Owens' and Minnie Clark's footsteps, and there were not very many Black men working there,' Jones explained.
A Mother to Many
When she was living in Ohio, Jones took custody of her husband's niece and nephew, both who were under the age of 10. This set the stage for a future serving as a foster mother. It was also in Ohio that Jones and her husband served as foster parents to around 30 children over the years.
'I started doing this when my niece and my nephew needed someone, and they were my joy, and they still stay in touch. I just love kids. I think they go through a lot of stuff people don't realize. Some people take in children for the money, I was doing it from my heart.
They just needed a spoonful of love and spoonful of sugar. I don't know how many kids in Macomb I've fed, but I didn't think about me, I thought about them,' Jones recalled. 'Children are children. Some aren't treated right. Some have issues with different things in their lives and they need somebody they can depend on and love them. I also took in five of my nieces and nephews in Macomb, and Ardith Thorpe and Teresa Wei helped me, they were my babysitters. I'd get home in the morning from Bowers, and Ardith would have the kids ready for school. It takes a community to raise a child. Some parents get mad, angry, when I speak up about their kids, but I can't help it. I will tell them. I'm from the old school and children need to have discipline.'
And it wasn't just the foster children she took care of or her kin, it was children from the neighborhood who knew they had a friend and a mother-figure in Jones. She loves to fish, and if her cousin's children and some of the kids around her home near Lincoln School saw her loading her Toyota Corolla with her fishing rods, they'd come running.
'It wasn't unusual for me to have seven or eight kids with me at Spring Lake, and they knew if they caught 'em and they were keeping 'em, they were going to learn how to clean them,' she said with a laugh. 'I always seemed to have kids with me.
'I just truly loved them. And the children I took in, the children who were in the system I didn't know, after they'd leave, I'd have breakdowns because I'd worry so much about them when they weren't here. I wondered if they were eating, if they were being cared for,' Jones added. 'But it was the love of God that has kept me all these years. It was his mercy and grace that kept me, and it still keeps me. Every day I wake up, I say 'thank you Lord.'' You Gotta Have Faith
It's also that faith that keeps Jones busy outside of her home and keeps her going every day. She's an active member at Mt. Calvary Church of God in Christ, taking part in numerous church activities. She works at the Summer Lunch Program at Prairie View Town Homes, is a part of Writing Women Into History (being honored by the Macomb Feminist Network in 2022), helps with Juneteenth activities – often surrounded by kids – and is a volunteer with John Curtis' Giving Gardens in Macomb. She first met Curtis when he was running a summer lunch program, and Jones worked as a driver, delivering meals to children throughout the community. And of course, it was all about the kids … and they got so used to their friendly delivery driver, they'd wait outside for her to stop by not only with lunch, but with a hug and a kind word.
'That's how John and I got to be friends. I'd go out to their farm and do the seedling blocks, and learn from him. It was just awesome. John came and even planted some strawberries by my house – the best strawberries ever. And when my grandbaby (four-year-old Terrell Miller) was shot by the police, John bought a tree and planted it in my yard in Terrell's honor. Last year was the first year it had a cherry on it,' Jones said softly. 'John helps people in need. I love their family.'
A Light & A Darkness
Jones is also known as a helper, and someone who is always there for people. Where does her helpful nature come from?
'I get it from my mother. She never met a stranger, and because of her, I'm that type of person,' Jones said matterof- factly. 'If I walk past you and we make eye contact, I'm going to say hello and speak to you. That's one of the things about me. I'll notice you. At Bowers, I'd come in the door every morning, 'Good morning, Good morning.'' While mercy, grace and forgiveness are what she strives to practice in her daily life, Jones – who always seems to have a smile on her face – still faces moments of darkness.
'I have a big problem about my grandbaby who got shot. I'm not over that. I can't seem to get over that. He was my little heart. In February, a month before he was killed, he came over here and brought me a heart balloon – my birthday is on Valentine Day. That balloon is still up,' Jones said with a hitch in her voice. 'And the day that he passed away, he was at my house. He said goodbye to everyone and gave them a hug and kiss. Maybe he knew. I just can't get over that. And on the 16th of March and the Lord willing that I'm here, I'm going down on that corner across from the train station and stand there in honor of my grandson. He was a special part of my life. He touched the lives of everyone he came into contact with. He was the happiest little boy. He's God's angel and watches over us.'
Final Thoughts: Love Conquers All
When asked what does she want to be remembered for, Jones simply said, 'I'm going to tell you a story.'
'There was someone who didn't treat me well and I talked to him about it, and I told him that I forgave him,' Jones remembered. 'God forgives me, he forgives you, he forgives everyone for their sins and he gives us a choice to love. God is love. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.
'I want to see my mother again. My sisters. Because I loved 'em. My aunts, my uncles,' Jones said. 'I'm a senior citizen now and I've got to keep the love in my spirit. Sometimes yes, I get upset about different things, but at the end of the day, I'm halfway over it and then it's finally gone. So I forgive 'em. Because God is love and that's what people miss. There's so much hatred in the world but the only thing that can kill hate is love.'
