…Mama, wife, community- organizer/activist, educator, public speaker, writer, author, and spoken word artist.  Introduced to poetry and historic speeches and at the age of 7 while attending the momentous William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, LA and performing and competing through the “Big Easy” at the ripe and ready age of 8, Tuere A. Burns Jones has shared the stage with internationally renowned artists such as The Last Poets, Sonia Sanchez, Arrested Development, Floetry, Erykah Badu, dead prez, Common, HBO Def Poet’s Sunni Patterson and Amir Suliaman; Dee Jay greats like Kid Capri, Biz Markie, and the Dynamite Dave Soul; internationally known poets and Poetry Slam Champions, Bryonn Bain, Chuck Perkins, Taalam Acey, and author, Sam Greenlee, just to name a few.

Flowing with the positive energy, passion, and fervency of a true New Orleanian, Tuere is recognized nationally as a powerful voice for justice and equality for people of color.  Infusing activism and art, she has been called upon to perform her revolutionary~love poetry for the NAACP’s Annual Conference, served as chair, organized and performed for Black August International South, Malcolm X Grass Roots Movement, Malcolm X Day in Houston, Chicago, and Atlanta, The National Black United Front (NBUF) of Houston, Marcus Garvey Day in New Orleans & Detroit, the Black Afrikan Holocaust Conference, Hands Off Assata! Campaign, the Reparations Movement in Louisiana and Houston, New Orleans’ Annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, Annual International Reggae Festival.  Tuere has been involved with various organizations around the world with her concentration being our youth, the prison and educational industrial complexes, and political prisoners.  She served as Chair for Black August International South, and is one of the organizers of the Akoben Words & Action Festival.  She is also a member of the national organization Blackout Arts Collective. 

Tuere has made various talk radio and T.V. appearances worldwide as an artist and advocate for the freedom of all political prisoners, the proper and fair education and opportunity for our youth, justice and equality for people Black people and people of color, and against any form of violence, especially domestic violence to which she  is a survivor.  She was instrumental in the freeing of The Angola 3’s Robert King Wilkerson, the closing down of Tallulah Juvenile Facility, and numerous injustices that impair our youth, leaders, and community.   She also worked tirelessly and directly on the campaign to free political prisoners such as Kamau Sadiki, Sundiata Acoli, and Ruchell Cinque Magee and has participated in the annual Free Assata Campaign in Chicago.  She has executed workshops for universities and prisons, facilitated forums, addressed students from elementary to college level on the importance of how spoken word can and should be used as a instrument to effect positive, communal change across the country and the Diaspora.

Tuere was contracted as a Consultant with Hands On Atlanta to coordinate their 16^th annual Martin L. King, Jr. Service Summit in conjunction with The Martin L, King, Jr., Center for Non-Violent Social Change where she introduced the documentary, to “Trouble the Water” its directors, producers, and New Orleans activists  to very broad Atlanta audiences. Because she understands the importance of an intergenerational connection (especially as it pertains to community organizing), and how art can play a vital role in it, she implemented Spoken Word University’s Annual Poetry SLAMS.  She later served as the Leadership Development Coordinator and an interim Program Manager with their AmeriCorps schools program.

She is the founder of Project Future for the Youth; founded in New Orleans in 1998, PFFTY is a grassroots organization that utilizes the union of art and activism as a vehicle to broaden the horizon of our youth to effect positive, social change for equality and justice in our community.  PFFTY houses a plethora of programs that encompasses the art of activism and allows youth to realize that they have a voice and encourages them how and why to utilize it! 

As co-director of the best seller, “I Am An Emotional Creature” by Eve Ensler (author and producer of The Vagina Monologues), she, along with director Asali DeVan (Katrina Monologues: Swimming Upstream) and seven of New Orleans most talented young girls (all who range from ages 12-18), brought to life monologues and stories which are based on topics garnered from girls around the world.  She also starred in another Eve Ensler masterpiece, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer:  Writings to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls.  Both productions benefited the Crescent House and Liberty House of New Orleans.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Tuere is @ work on her 3^rd book of poetry, a collection of children’s works with her daughter, Aisha, and her 2^nd Spoken Word EP.