In recent years, Black gymnasts have been making waves on the Olympic stage. As USA Gymnastics reports increasing diversity in both the men’s and women’s gymnastics times, one coach is fighting to ensure that Black men have a space in the competitive gymnastics world.
James Jones owns James Jones Gymnastics Academy in Georgia, Clayton County. The academy is home to the only all-Black boys’ competitive gymnastics team in the country. Since 2019, Jones has been running the academy alone. Over time, his community has grown in size and height, which has led to a search for a new gym location.
“The ceiling is only 13 feet high. And so when we first came here, the boys were small. These boys are teenagers, and most of them are almost 6 feet,” Jones told HuffPost. “They’re literally kicking the ceiling.”
The owner, who is also an attorney, has spent the last year looking for a space within the county but has been met with continuous roadblocks due to stringent zoning restrictions.
“This isn’t an issue about money. It is an issue about zoning…I’ve been trying my best to relocate us to another location in Clayton County because this is one of the cheaper counties for commercial real estate,” Jones explained. “There are so many warehouses and buildings that are vacant and empty, but we can’t move to any. And at this point, I’m constructively being forced to close down because I can’t relocate the gym anywhere else.”
According to a Clayton County spokesperson, while Jones’s proposed warehouses would be ideal for their locations and sizes, they did not meet the zoning requirements, as they are designed for manufacturing. However, the county said it is “committed to working with Coach James or any applicant to find solutions in line with the County’s zoning policies.”
However, Jones’ desire to stay in Clayton County is not rooted in selfish frugality. To maintain its accessibility to the community, the James Jones Gymnastics Academy offers rates based on families’ incomes. So to avoid increasing families’ rates for the sake of high rent costs, Jones has been persistent in his search.
“We really want to keep this program going for the community,” Kecia Blackmon, an academy parent, told WSB-TV. “It means a lot to us. It means a lot to the community. So please help us if you can.”
In an effort to save the academy, Jones launched a GoFundMe campaign on social media, which has received donations from stars like Jordan Chiles and Viola Davis.
Ultimately, Jones’s work is driven by the power of representation.
“I think that a lot of parents stifle the interest of their sons because they don’t even give them a chance to develop an interest in the sport,” he concluded. “If Black boys see other Black boys doing gymnastics, or boys in general, if it piques their interest, they will want to do it. They will want to join in as well.”
