Looking for a speaker that will educate, inspire and bring audiences to their feet (physically or virtually!)?
Cece Jones-Davis doesn’t disappoint.
Cece Jones-Davis works at the intersections of faith, art and social justice as an award-winning faith leader, facilitator, public speaker and impact strategist.
She is passionate about pointing people to the All-Powerful and the least powerful.
For the past 20 years, Cece has partnered with national organizations and brands such as Levi’s and Tampax, organized and led dynamic grassroots movements and used her voice to address issues of equity and inequity. Her activism ranges from fighting to abolish the death penalty to advocating for menstrual equity—work that she does both on the ground to create immediate impact and in high-level rooms to drive policy changes, awareness and education. She served in the historic Obama Administration under Ambassador Ron Kirk, the first African American U.S. Trade Representative. She is known most recently for her work in creating the #JusticeforJulius campaign that saved Julius Jones in Oklahoma just hours before his scheduled execution in 2021.
Born and raised in Halifax County, VA—the home of the legendary Henrietta Lacks and the once-largest slaveholding county in the state—Cece’s life experiences have given her a unique perspective in the work she does everyday to combat racism and advocate for people living on the margins of society. Her impact has been recognized and celebrated throughout the United States, including an Emmy nomination for a KFOR News conversation on racial (re)conciliation, receiving the 2021 Change.org Changemaker of the Year Award and Special Congressional Recognition for her efforts in civil rights and social justice.
Cece always says—none of us can do EVERYthing but all of us can do something about SOME thing.
Why Cece?
Cece is intuitive, authentic, and joyful in every aspect of her vocation. She’s entrenched in the tedious work of facilitating true healing and transformation. With her decades of experience and expertise, Cece not only inspires audiences across the country but also educates them on how to find their own unique intersections and the importance of leading with love. Individuals and groups who experience Cece walk away challenged, inspired, hopeful, and informed—a unique blend that sets Cece apart from other activists, preachers, and speakers.
What People are Saying…
“In a world full of either/or people, CeCe Jones-Davis is both/and. Bringing together the tenderness of pastoral wisdom with the fierceness of prophetic witness, CeCe’s gift is to navigate impossible intersections. She speaks the truth of the world as it is, but calls out the hope of the world as it can and must become… Nothing makes me more giddy than for people to experience CeCe do her thing for the first time—because 100% of the time, she is going to bring the house down.”
—Jonathan Martin, author, speaker, Pastor of The Table OKC
“100% of the time, she is going to bring the house down.”
“What sets Cece Jones Davis apart...is how God entrusts her.”
“What sets Cece Jones Davis apart from the many other wonderful Christ-followers ‘desiring to be used by God’ is how God entrusts her. It is truly something to behold. Her character and integrity has been tried and tested over and over, and she has been found faithful, even in great sacrifice. I have seen it with my own eyes. CeCe is entrusted with influence, authority, ministry, and public standing beyond her massive gifting, I believe, because she will not crumble under the weight. The foundation is firm. She offers her faithful ‘Yes’ to her King and Savior Jesus, to any end. This is true witness. This is something generations behind her are desperate to see and follow, and yet Christ will be the center of her story when it is told.”
—Marcy Priest Jackson, Worship Artist
“Cece Jones-Davis’ leadership as the heart and soul of the Justice for Julius Campaign was an extraordinary effort to behold for the advocacy community. Cece’s relentless courage showcased her inspiring ability to connect and organize people from diverse backgrounds and experiences under a unified cause and for a common goal. She is an incredible speaker and visionary, and our partnership with Cece to prevent the death of an innocent man serves as an example of what’s possible with brilliant organizing ability and fierce leadership.”
—Daniel Forkkio, Represent Justice
"She is an incredible speaker and visionary."
Speaking Topics
Faith + Justice: This Hope We Have
Despair is an easy choice in a world like ours, and Cece Jones-Davis has seen behind enough curtains to know first-hand just how realistic of a choice despair can be. And yet, she has so much hope. In this talk, Cece draws on her experience working at the intersection of faith and justice to share with audiences how justice and Jesus go hand in hand. Listeners will walk away inspired that not all is lost, that there are still causes worth fighting for, and that love still has the power to create change for both good here on earth and for the Kingdom that is to come.
What You’ll Learn:
- How love serves as the key to unlocking a meaningful life lived at the intersection of faith and justice
- What “love in public” is and what it looks like for Christians to embody it
- Why the Church needs to shift its mindset to seeing justice as a sacred responsibility, not a political agenda
- How Christians can find issues they care about, learn about them and get engaged
Common Ground for Common Good: Finding a Way to Work with Anybody
Is finding common ground overrated? In a political, social and spiritual climate that continues to be ever more polarizing, Cece Jones-Davis stands at odds with the call to join a side and instead encourages people toward common ground. She knows firsthand from her grassroots organizing work on the #JusticeforJulius campaign that finding common ground is the magic that can propel individuals, groups and even entire communities toward change. In this talk, audiences will learn how to find common ground when everyone around them argues for division and why finding a way to work with anybody is so needed right now.
What You’ll Learn:
- How to find points of commonality to create stronger communities and stronger movements
- Ways anyone can participate in the important work of tearing down barriers and building bridges where it matters
- Why finding common ground can serve as an antidote to the paralysis so many individuals and groups are experiencing in their justice and advocacy work
Racial Healing: What's Beyond the Conversation?
Conversations around race are nothing new. In fact, many important ones are happening in communities around the nation. But what’s beyond the conversation? What’s the step we take next? As someone who has worked at all levels of advocacy, Cece Jones-Davis has the expertise so many are looking for on how to move beyond talk and begin committing to actions. Using her own stories and real-life experience, she invites her audience to locate themselves within both local and national racial healing efforts and plan for what steps they can take to promote not only equality but also equity in the fight against racism.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why we have to start seeing the conversations on racism as the starting point, not the finish line, in our fight against racism
- What racial healing is and isn’t and why we need it on both a local and national level
- How to find our personal role and responsibility in racial healing efforts
Speaking Samples
Innocence Project's 30th Anniversary Gala
On Advocacy
Living While We Wait (with Jen Hatmaker)
Waiting, Winning and Weeping
The Jesus Calling Podcast: Everyone is Worthy of God’s Love
Evolving Faith: Remembering the Refrain
Book Cece
Interested in booking Cece for your next event or workshop? Use the form below to send your request (including event date, location and audience) to our team.