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Person

Van Jones

Vanjonesadvisorforgreenjobs (link)
Nationality:

American
Occupation:

CNN Contributor

Former Special Adviser for Green Jobs, Obama Administration

Co-founder, Dream Corps

Co-founder, Color of Change

Attorney
Political Party:

Democratic Party
Residence:

New York, New York

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Van Jones is a CNN commentator, left-of-center political activist, and former Obama administration official. Jones previously described himself as a communist 1 and as a critical race theory-influenced social justice activist. 2 He supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement, 3 reparations and redistribution of wealth for African Americans in the United States, 4 5 and releasing convicted police murderer and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal. 6

In 2021, Amazon founder and prominent left-of-center political donor Jeff Bezos gave Van Jones $100 million to distribute to left-of-center nonprofit organizations and causes through a new “justice innovation prize.” 7 8 As of 2023, Jones is a part of the #Cut50 initiative, which aims to cut the prison population in half by 2026. 9 He is founding CEO of left-of-center REFORM Alliance, 10 and has co-founded or led other left-of-center organizations including Dream Corps, 11 12 Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, 9 Rebuild the Dream, Color of Change and, Green for All. 10

Career

Van Jones is a CNN commentator, left-of-center political activist, and former Obama administration official with roots in “radical politics.” 6 Jones supports the far-left Black Lives Matter movement and the racial-advocacy coalition Movement for Black Lives. 3 He supports “transforming” the American justice system, has advocated in favor of convicted police murderer and former Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal, 6 and supports future reparations and redistribution of wealth for African Americans in the United States. 5

Jones “made his name” in left-of-center environmentalist activism and anti-poverty activism in California. 13 In 2020, he celebrated President Joe Biden (D)’s election victory over then-President Donald Trump. 14

Following the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, Jones claimed on CNN that the election results were a “whitelash,” describing his claims that white voters voted against an African American president (Barack Obama) and a changing country in the election. 15

Van Jones has worked in various roles on news outlet CNN since November 2012. He was a co-chair of REFORM Action Fund of the REFORM Alliance, president of left-wing activist organization Rebuild the Dream. He is also a co-founder of left-of-center online organizing organization Color of Change and is the founder of Bay Area PoliceWatch, the left-of-center Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and Green Corps’ environmentalist branch, Green for All. 10

In the 1990s, Jones was affiliated with the radical-left organization Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement (STORM). Jones helped form the group and at that point in time described himself as a “communist” 1 and “rowdy black nationalist.” 16 In 2004, Jones’s name was on a letter requesting an investigation into whether the George W. Bush administration allowed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to happen as a “pre-text to war.” 6

He has won several awards including the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader Award, the Ashoka Fellowship, 17 and the NAACP Image Award. 18 He has received other awards from Rolling Stone and was ranked as one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2009. 18 19

Political Activism

Van Jones has described himself as a communist 1 and as a critical race theory-influenced social justice activist. 20 He has said that he has spent decades of his life trying to convince white people to take the critical race theory-influenced concept of racial justice seriously. 3 Jones has claimed that the “woke” have laid the groundwork for what he identifies as the “great awakening” of left-of-center advocacy in the United States. 3 Following the police-involved death of George Floyd in 2020, Jones claimed that African American men have been lynched by white men in the United States “for centuries.” 21

Jones has claimed that the far-left Black Lives Matter movement is the “most important development” in American society since the political rise of President Barack Obama. Jones stated that Black Lives Matter represents a new generation using their voices like the civil rights movement in the 1960s, except with smartphones and video cameras. 9 He has claimed that the United States was heading in the right direction after female soccer players and others took a knee during playing of the National Anthem for what Jones considered injustice in American society. 9

After Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Jones praised left-of-center Native American activist organization Native Organizers Alliance and other similar groups for their activism, claiming they were “responsible” for Biden’s victory. 22

Van Jones supported the Trump administration’s criminal justice reform efforts, namely the First Step Act, 23 and has said that politicians who say they are tough on crime are actually “stupid on crime.” 9 He also claimed that President Trump led “hateful, bigoted voices feel emboldened” during his first year in office. 24

Durin[g the George W. Bush administration, Jones helped create the concept of a Clean Energy Jobs Bill during a 2007 meeting with then-Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). The concept eventually became the Green Jobs Act, which became law in 2007. 25 26

Obama Administration

In 2009, Van Jones was a special advisor in the Obama administration White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). 10 In this role, Jones was commonly referred to as the Obama administration’s “green jobs czar.” 27

In September 2009, Jones resigned from the Obama administration due to his statements and associations prior to joining the administration. Jones was accused of signing a controversial statement suggesting that then-President George W. Bush was complicit with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, for which he later apologized and denied casting doubts about the September 11 terrorist attacks. 28 29 Jones was also forced to apologize for calling Republicans “a**holes” prior to joining the administration. 30

Nonprofit Involvement

In 2021, Amazon founder and prominent left-of-center political donor Jeff Bezos gave Van Jones $100 million to distribute to left-of-center nonprofit organizations and causes through a new “justice innovation prize.” The prize was intended to give grants to organizations working on causes related to social entrepreneurship and the criminal justice system. 7 8

As of October 2023, Jones was a part of the #Cut50 initiative, which aims to cut the prison population in half by 2026. 9 He is the president of Magic Media Labs and the founding CEO of REFORM Alliance, 10 which works to change the American criminal justice system. 7

Jones is the co-founder of left-leaning nonprofit advocacy organization Dream Corps and was the group’s president until August 2023. 11 In August 2023, he was ousted from Dream Corps amid alleged financial mismanagement. 31

In 2009, Jones founded Green Jobs for All. In 2004, Jones persuaded the Nathan Cummings Foundation to give him $250,000. 32 He founded the left-of-center Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in 1996. 9 Jones has also given money to Beat the Block 7 and was previously a senior fellow at the left-of-center Center for American Progress (CAP). 26

References

  1. Strickland, Eliza. “The New Face of Environmentalism.” East Bay Express. November 2, 2005. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://eastbayexpress.com/the-new-face-of-environmentalism-1/.
  2. Jones, Van. “Van Jones: I’m someone Covid-19 could easily kill. Here is what I’m doing about it.” CNN Opinion. April 24, 2020. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/opinions/creating-a-pandemic-resistant-black-community-jones/index.html.
  3. Jones, Van. “Welcome to the ‘Great Awakening’.” CNN Opinion. June 14, 2020. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/12/opinions/great-awakening-empathy-solidarity-george-floyd-jones/index.html.
  4. “Transcript: Recorder interview with Van Jones.” Indianapolis Recorder. October 7, 2019. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://indianapolisrecorder.com/4d42413a-e92a-11e9-9b89-0b40e4982f2e/.
  5. Dorsica, Samantha. “Van Jones Says He Was Going To Be Put ‘In An Early Grave’ After Receiving $100M From Jeff Bezos.” Yahoo! Finance. October 11, 2023. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/van-jones-says-going-put-184934327.html.
  6. Fred Barbash and Harry Siegel. “Van Jones resigns amid controversy.” Politico. September 6, 2009. Updated September 7, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.politico.com/story/2009/09/van-jones-resigns-amid-controversy-026797.
  7. Kirsch, Noah. “Van Jones, Bezos’ $100M Man, Pushed Out of His Own Nonprofit.” Daily Beat. August 19, 2023. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.thedailybeast.com/van-jones-jeff-bezos-dollar100m-man-pushed-out-of-his-non-profit#:~:text=Jones%2C%20he%20continued%2C%20has%20also,similar%20efforts%20at%20social%20entrepreneurship.
  8. Darcy, Oliver. “Bezos donates $100 million teach to CNN contributor Van Jones and chef Jose Andres.” CNN Business. July 21, 2021. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/20/media/van-jones-bezos-100-million/index.html.
  9.  Williams, Chris. “Van Jones on Mass Incarceration, Black Lives Matter, and Ava Duvernay’s ‘The 13th’.” Ebony. October 7, 2016. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.ebony.com/van-jones-13th-film/.
  10. “Experience.” Van Jones LinkedIn Profile. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/van-jones-7160bb4b/details/experience/.
  11. “Van Jones.” Dream Corps. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://dream.org/team-members/van-jones-2/.
  12. Linge, Mary Kay. “Van Jones ousted from his woke nonprofit amid fiscal woes: report.” New York Post. August 19, 2023. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://nypost.com/2023/08/19/van-jones-ousted-from-his-woke-nonprofit-amid-fiscal-woes/.
  13. Smith, Ben. “Jones apologizes for statements, denies 9/11 doubts.” Politico. September 3, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2009/09/jones-apologizes-for-statements-denies-9-11-doubts-021107.
  14. “X Post.” Van Jones X Page. Posted November 7, 2020. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://twitter.com/VanJones68/status/1325112581833568257.
  15. Ryan, Josiah. “’This was a whitelash;” Van Jones’ take on the election results.” CNN Politics. November 9, 2016. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2016/11/09/politics/van-jones-results-disappointment-cnntv/index.html.
  16. Vadum, Matthew. “Van Jones and His STORMtroopers Denounced America the Night After 9/11.” Capital Research Center. August 29, 2009. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/van-jones/.
  17. “Van Jones.” RFK Human Rights Center. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://rfkhumanrights.org/assets/documents/Van-Jones.pdf.
  18. “About Van Jones.” Van Jones Personal Website. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://vanjones.net/about/.
  19. DiCaprio, Leonardo. “The 2009 TIME 100.” TIME Magazine. April 30, 2009. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1894289_1894360,00.html
  20. [1] Jones, Van. “Van Jones: I’m someone Covid-19 could easily kill. Here is what I’m doing about it.” CNN Opinion. April 24, 2020. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/24/opinions/creating-a-pandemic-resistant-black-community-jones/index.html.
  21. “Van Jones on racial justice.” Tara Brach YouTube Page. Posted June 18, 2020. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oHHRv–8fc.
  22. “CNN Commentator recognizes Navajo voter impact in the election.” Indian Country Times News Release. November 9, 2020. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://ictnews.org/the-press-pool/cnn-commentator-recognizes-navajo-voter-impact-in-the-election.
  23. Harris, Richard. “Liberals and conservatives can find common ground. Van Jones’ newly streaming movie shows how.” Los Angeles Times. April 5, 2023. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-04-05/van-jones-prison-reform-first-step-movie.
  24.  Elliott, Phillip. “CNN’s Van Jones on Trump’s First Year, Martin Luther King Jr. and Activism.” Time Magazine. January 18, 2018. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://time.com/5107490/cnn-van-jones-on-trumps-first-year/.
  25. [1] “About Van Jones.” Van Jones Personal Website. Accessed October 26, 2023. https://vanjones.net/about/.
  26. Kolbert, Elizabeth. “Greening the Ghetto.” New Yorker. January 4, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/01/12/greening-the-ghetto.
  27. “President Obama’s ‘Czars’.” Politico Staff. September 4, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023.
    https://www.politico.com/story/2009/09/president-obamas-czars-026779.
  28. Smit, Ben. “Jones apologizes for statements, denies 9/11 doubts.” Politico. September 3, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.politico.com/blogs/ben-smith/2009/09/jones-apologizes-for-statements-denies-9-11-doubts-021107.
  29. Shane, Scott. “Conservatives Draw Blood From Acorn.” New York Times. September 15, 2009. Accessed via Web Archive. October 28, 2023. https://archive.ph/og3Ta.
  30. Thrush, Glenn. “Van Jones: A**hole remark “inappropriate”.” Politico. September 2, 2009. Accessed October 28, 2023. https://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2009/09/van-jones-a-hole-remark-inappropriate-021071?showall.
  31. Linge, Mary Kay. “ Van Jones ousted from his woke nonprofit amid fiscal woes: report.” New York Post. August 19, 2023. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://nypost.com/2023/08/19/van-jones-ousted-from-his-woke-nonprofit-amid-fiscal-woes/.
  32. Kolbert, Elizabeth. “Greening the Ghetto.” The New Yorker. January 4, 2009. Accessed October 29, 2023. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/01/12/greening-the-ghetto.
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