‘I apologize’: Texas Rep. Venton Jones addresses Black women after backlash over Chris Brown recognition

Jones acknowledged that honoring Brown alongside Jasmine Crockett during the “R&B Tour” “perpetuated’ the sidelining of Black women’s safety and lived experiences.

The social blowback from Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) and State Rep. Vernon Jones honoring Chris Brown during the Dallas stop of the “R&B Tour” has prompted Jones to apologize.

During a conversation with Don Lemon for Lemon’s morning show on Tuesday, Jones, whose seat Crockett formerly represented in the Texas state house before going on to Congress, stated that it was not his intention to evoke memories of domestic violence. Brown was charged with domestic violence in 2009 after he assaulted Rihanna, and he has had previous instances where former partners sought restraining orders against him.

“I want to offer an apology,” Jones began. “I think this is a very important conversation around domestic violence and I want to offer my apology to Black women, to women and to anyone who has experienced domestic violence and really express that it was not my intention to stoke the traumas that go into that, as well as the background of this situation.”

Jones stated that he and Crockett were at the R&B Tour on behalf of AT&T Stadium to honor the “importance” of the tour with Brown and Usher. However, Jones and Crockett’s involvement was supposed to focus on highlighting the stakes of the upcoming midterm elections.

“We were brought in to help and talk to and mobilize voters who need to be engaged right now in this very important election that we have going on in November,” Jones said. “That was the work we were engaged in, and so little was seen in that clip.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Don Lemon (@donlemonofficial)

Jones did thank Crockett for her outreach and for her ability to bring entertainers and politicians together to have “critical conversations,” but online, most of the vitriol has focused not on him but on Crockett for standing with Brown and for wanting to place his contributions to music and entertainment in the Congressional record.

In an official statement, the outgoing Representative issued a wider apology.

“First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the women, the Black women, whom my actions have hurt. In moments like these, I think it’s important to be specific and just as loud with an apology as our original actions were. I apologize.”

He continued, “You are the backbone of our community, our families, and our democracy. Far too often, we continue to ask that you carry the heaviest burdens, lead our fights, and navigate spaces where your safety and lived realities are sidelined. My decision was another moment that perpetuated this.”

Brown, meanwhile, thanked both Crockett and Jones for the honors during Saturday’s concert.