Matthew Jones (September 17, 1936 – March 30, 2011[1]) was an African-American folk singer/songwriter known for being a field secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee[2][3] and part of their The Freedom Singers in the 1960s.
Jones relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, with his brother Marshall, who was also affiliated with the SNCC and their music ensemble, the Freedom Singers.
Matthew Jones faced down the Ku Klux Klan on many occasions and endured 29 arrests during the Civil Rights Movement.
If we sing a powerful statement enough times in a song, like 'This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,' then we can internalize it".
At each performance, Jones included "The Freedom Chant," an affirmation he based on a famous quote by Fannie Lou Hamer and his own many years of direct action.