One of her teachers had helped her attain the scholarship, members of the local African-American community collected change, and the black press ran a campaign in the Arkansas State Press to raise funds that they donated to her for her tuition and living expenses.

That same year, she was admitted to the University of Arkansas Medical School, as part of a racially mixed class, and made headlines across the United States[7] from New York[8] to Oregon[9] to North Dakota[10] to Texas.

Although admitted to the school, Jones had to deal with racial discrimination, such as being forced to use separate facilities from whites for housing and dining.

[2] In 1952, Jones received her Doctor of Medicine degree, the first African-American graduate from University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

[3] When tension over the Little Rock Nine polarized Arkansas, and newspapers began to spotlight her again,[15] in 1959 she and her family moved to Houston, Texas.

She was a member of what was known as the "Freedom Four", who spoke across the South in homes and churches encouraging people to join the civil rights movement.

Jones was the only physician and only woman in the group; the others were attorneys Floyd Davis, Robert Booker, and Harold Flowers.

[18] In 1969, Jones was honored by the Houston Chapter of Theta Sigma Phi professional women with the Matrix Award for Medicine.

US Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee nominated Jones as a Local Legend for the National Library of Medicine.

[23] She was in the inaugural class of inductees into the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame in 2015,[2] and received a commendation from the Texas House of Representatives for her service that same year.