Lewes man awarded top medal from Yale University

James Jones sat in his easy chair after a morning of golf at The Rookery. He was reminiscing about his long career as a psychologist studying race in America.

“[Race] is a complicated issue. People want to grossly oversimplify the solutions,” Jones said.

But at 82, Jones isn’t resting and is still looking for solutions.

He is writing a revised version of a psychology book, learning how to play classical guitar and serving on the board of Coastal Concerts.

Jones is also admiring his latest accolade. He recently received the Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal from Yale University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It’s the highest honor the school bestows on its alumni.

The university said the award is for “transformative scholarship in the study of race, racism and diversity in the last 50 years.”

“My time at Yale was special. It launched my career,” he said. “I was honored and quite nostalgic.”

Jones received his PhD in psychology from Yale in 1970. He was the only Black graduate psychology student at the time.

Jones said the greatest recognition of his career came earlier this year when he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.

“It was founded by Abraham Lincoln, who felt the country should have a way to honor and be advised by accomplished scientists. Membership is daunting and honorific,” Jones said.

He is also proud of the work he did as leader of the American Psychological Association’s Minority Fellowship Program.

“We had 1,200 graduate students of color. They went on to become university presidents, deans and chancellors. The idea is these people are psychologists who use their leadership skills to address diversity issues,” he said.

Jones retired from the faculty of the University of Delaware in 2018. He was director of the university’s Center for the Study of Diversity until 2022.

Jones served as a consultant on President Bill Clinton’s Initiative on Race in the late 1990s and participated on panels at the Carter Center in Atlanta. 

Jones’ first book, “Prejudice and Racism,” first published in 1972, was highly acclaimed in his field. He published a second edition in 1997.

He is currently revising a book he first wrote in 2014, “The Psychology of Diversity: Beyond Prejudice and Racism.”

“The difference between the ’70s and [now] is that people learned over time that they couldn’t say certain things. They still have the same attitudes, but there is more subtle racism now,” Jones said.

Jones’ journey through academia started with an undergraduate degree from Oberlin College, not far from his hometown in Ohio.

He also received a master’s degree in psychology from Temple University.

Jones and his wife, Olaive, moved to Lewes in 2004.