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Lady Jones is a member of the Cincinnati community and is devoted to helping her people through philanthropic acts. She’s a mixed-race woman who has negative emotions toward her blonde hair and biracial status, as she was bullied during her youth and never fully fit in with her Black peers. As an adult, she married the “blackest man she could find” in an attempt to assert her identity as a Black woman. Still, despite the challenges she endures, her mixed-race status has afforded her certain privileges. Namely, she was able to attend a high-quality school in her childhood, and now has the education necessary to teach the underprivileged children of Cincinnati, who otherwise likely would never have received any formal schooling. She charges one nickel a month for Black children in the community to attend unofficial primary school at her home. It is through her school that she initially meets Denver. Although Denver doesn’t stay long at her school, Lady Jones becomes one of the few people that the isolated Denver knows in their community. Later, when Denver’s household begins to crumble under Beloved’s weight, Denver turns to Lady Jones for help.
Lady Jones connects Denver to her church group, which provides food to Denver’s family. Lady Jones’ help not only keeps Denver alive and healthy but also serves to finally introduce her to the greater Black community in Cincinnati. Although they had previously avoided Denver’s family due to the horror surrounding Sethe’s killing of Beloved, Denver’s plea for help gains their approval, and they become friendly with her. Thus, Denver grows a network of women who become the support system that rids the family of Beloved. Although the educated and reasonable Lady Jones doesn’t believe the supernatural rumors surrounding Beloved, she’s nevertheless amongst the 30 women who gather together to exorcize 124 of its ghost.
