Setting the Record Straight: Soul Publications and Film Representation

Over the past few weeks, there’s been growing attention around the documentary Who in the Hell is Regina Jones, which includes a segments featuring myself and materials from Soul Publications. While we appreciate that Regina’s story is finally receiving the recognition it deserves, we feel it’s important to address some of the confusion that has come up around SOUL’s role in the project.

Soul Publications is not the subject of this film. We were approached initially to speak about a personal family story and later asked to contribute archival material that helped contextualize one part of Regina’s broader narrative. Although I am listed in the credits as an “Archival Producer,” we were not involved in shaping the film’s creative direction or its messaging.

The inclusion of our materials and the way the film has been marketed have led many people to believe that Soul Publications is a central focus of the documentary. Some have even assumed we partnered in its production. That is not the case.

There is so much more to SOUL. The film does not acknowledge the broader collective of contributors, editors, photographers, and community voices that shaped the publication’s legacy. Major contributors were not featured or mentioned, leaving out the complexity and richness of what Soul Newspaper truly was.

Matthew Jones and Soul Publications have not endorsed this representation of the archive or its narrative. The way our contributions have been positioned has resulted in public confusion and has affected other opportunities tied to our independent platform.

Soul Publications is a living archive, a publishing body, and a cultural project that extends far beyond any one story. We honor our connection to Regina Jones, who co-founded the original SOUL Newspaper, and I personally shared a close relationship with her for over 15 years. We spoke nearly every day and worked closely to preserve the archive and legacy of SOUL. I encouraged her not to discard historic materials, supported her in donating issues and materials to UCLA and Indiana University, created a local archive of issues, photos, negatives and slides, assisted with interviews and appearances, worked with journalists to secure articles in the New York Times and uplifted her story long before the documentary existed. Despite our longstanding partnership and familial bond, our relationship has not been the same since I raised concerns throughout the entire process, well before the film’s premiere. The relationship portrayed in the film is not one that we share today. Still, I will continue to preserve SOUL’s legacy, in alignment with mine and Regina’s mission and community.

We remain open to storytelling that uplifts Black history with nuance, respect, and collaboration. But we also reserve the right to clarify when our identity and authorship have been blurred.

To explore the full scope of our work, please visit soulpublications.co or contact us directly.