Career Timeline of Van Jones: Major Achievements and Milestones
How Van Jones built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.
Van Jones is an American political analyst, media personality, lawyer, author, and civil rights advocate. He's a prominent figure known for his work on CNN as a host and contributor, his three New York Times bestselling books, and his Emmy Award. Jones is recognized for his political commentary and advocacy, particularly focusing on civil rights and social justice issues.
1992: Jones serves as a legal observer
In 1992, Van Jones served as a legal observer for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights at protests triggered by the Rodney King verdict.
1995: Jones Initiates Bay Area PoliceWatch
In 1995, Van Jones initiated Bay Area PoliceWatch as a project of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, providing a hotline and lawyer-referral service for victims of police abuse.
1996: Jones leads Campaign to fire officer Marc Andaya
In 1996, Jones and PoliceWatch led a campaign to gain the firing of officer Marc Andaya from the San Francisco Police Department.
1996: Jones founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
In 1996, Van Jones founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, operating initially from a small office using his personal computer.
June 1997: Officer Andaya Fired
In June 1997, the San Francisco Police Commission voted to fire officer Marc Andaya for falsifying his application to the department, following a campaign led by Van Jones and PoliceWatch.
1999: Jones leads campaign to defeat Proposition 21
In 1999, Van Jones led a campaign to defeat Proposition 21, which aimed to increase penalties for violent crimes and try more juvenile offenders as adults.
2000: Proposition 21
In 2000, Van Jones continued his campaign to defeat Proposition 21, but the student protest movement ultimately imploded.
2001: Jones launches Books Not Bars campaign
In 2001, Van Jones and the Ella Baker Center launched the "Books Not Bars" campaign, aiming to address high incarceration rates.
2003: effort to block the construction of a proposed "Super-Jail for Youth"
From 2001 to 2003, Van Jones led an effort to block the construction of a proposed "Super-Jail for Youth" in Oakland's Alameda County.
2003: Jones served as Arianna Huffington's grassroots director
In 2003, Van Jones served as Arianna Huffington's statewide grassroots director during the California gubernatorial recall election.
2005: Jones promotes eco-capitalism and environmental justice
By 2005, Van Jones had begun promoting eco-capitalism and environmental justice. In 2005 the Ella Baker Center expanded its vision beyond the immediate concerns of policing.
2005: Jones co-founded Color of Change
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Van Jones and James Rucker co-founded Color of Change, a Web-based grassroots organization to address Black issues.
August 2008: Jones featured on Sea Change Radio
In August 2008, Van Jones was featured on the grassroots radio program Sea Change Radio.
October 20, 2008: Oakland Green Jobs Corps Launched
On October 20, 2008, the City of Oakland formally launched the Oakland Green Jobs Corps, a public-private partnership to provide local Oakland residents with job training in the new energy economy, an effort that Van Jones supported.
2008: The Green Collar Economy published
In 2008, Van Jones published his first book, "The Green Collar Economy", which describes his plan for solving economic and environmental issues. The book received favorable reviews.
February 2009: Jones lecture at Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative
In February 2009, Van Jones gave a lecture at the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative where he used strong language to refer to Congressional Republican lawmakers.
March 2009: Jones appointed Special Advisor at White House
In March 2009, Van Jones was appointed as Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
July 2009: Color of Change launches campaign against Beck
In July 2009, Color of Change launched a campaign urging advertisers on Beck's Fox News show to pull their ads, protesting Beck's comments about President Obama.
September 5, 2009: Jones Resigns from White House
On September 5, 2009, Van Jones resigned from his position as Special Advisor, citing a "vicious smear campaign" by opponents of health care and clean energy reform.
September 2009: Video circulates of Jones using strong language
In September 2009, a video circulated on YouTube of a February 2009 lecture by Van Jones at the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative, where he used strong language to refer to Congressional Republican lawmakers. The incident made headlines, and Jones apologized.
2009: Jones served as Special Advisor for Green Jobs
In 2009, Van Jones served as President Barack Obama's Special Advisor for Green Jobs. He also was a distinguished visiting fellow at Princeton University during that year.
2009: Keynote Speaker for Powershift 2009
In 2009, Van Jones served as a keynote speaker for Powershift 2009.
February 2010: Senior Fellow at Center for American Progress
In February 2010, Van Jones became a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, leading their Green Opportunity Initiative. This initiative aimed to develop an agenda for expanding investment, innovation, and opportunity through clean energy and environmental restoration.
October 2, 2010: Spoke at One Nation Working Together rally
On October 2, 2010, Van Jones spoke at the One Nation Working Together rally in Washington, D.C. He linked the fight against poverty with the fight against pollution, advocating for green jobs as "real solutions".
April 15, 2011: Keynote Speaker at Powershift 2011
On April 15, 2011, Van Jones was a keynote speaker at Powershift 2011 in Washington, D.C., addressing over 10,000 students on climate justice and supporting underrepresented communities. This was the largest youth activism and organizing training in U.S. history.
June 2011: Launched Rebuild the Dream Campaign
In June 2011, Van Jones collaborated with MoveOn.org to launch the Rebuild the Dream campaign, aiming to establish a progressive American Dream movement to counter the Tea Party movement.
June 23, 2011: Rebuild the Dream Campaign Kickoff
On June 23, 2011, the Rebuild the Dream campaign officially kicked off, featuring performances by The Roots and a DJ set by Shepard Fairey. Rebuild the Dream announced a "Contract for the American Dream", as a counter to the Tea Party-supported "Contract from America".
July 2011: Involvement in Rebuild the Dream Movement
By the end of July 2011, Van Jones claimed that 127,000 people had become involved in the Rebuild the Dream movement.
April 2012: Published "Rebuild the Dream"
In April 2012, Van Jones published his second book, titled "Rebuild the Dream". It debuted at number 16 on the New York Times Best-Seller list.
June 2013: Announced as Co-Host of Crossfire Reboot
In June 2013, Van Jones was announced as a co-host of a reboot of the CNN political debate show "Crossfire", alongside Newt Gingrich, Stephanie Cutter and S.E. Cupp.
September 16, 2013: Crossfire Reboot Debut
On September 16, 2013, the new version of "Crossfire" debuted with Van Jones as one of the co-hosts.
October 2014: Crossfire Canceled
In October 2014, the rebooted version of "Crossfire", on which Van Jones was a co-host, was canceled.
March 2015: #cut50 Hosted Bipartisan Summit
In March 2015, #cut50, an organization focused on bi-partisan solutions to criminal justice reform issues hosted a "bi-partisan summit" with Republican Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, to promote bi-partisan solutions.
November 2015: #cut50 Gained Support of Alicia Keys
In November 2015, #cut50 gained the support of singer Alicia Keys.
2015: Launched #YesWeCode
In early 2015, Van Jones launched #YesWeCode, an initiative aiming to "teach 100,000 low-income kids to write code". Musician Prince appeared at the Essence Festival to support the launch.
April 21, 2016: Revealed Prince's Secret Contributions to #YesWeCode
On April 21, 2016, following Prince's death, Van Jones revealed on CNN that Prince had secretly contributed to the funding of #YesWeCode and had been a major anonymous philanthropist. Jones also shared that Prince, as a Jehovah's Witness, preferred to give anonymously.
November 2016: Described Trump's victory as a "whitelash"
After Donald Trump's victory in November 2016, Van Jones, a CNN contributor, described the result as a "whitelash", referring to a racist backlash by white Americans who had opposed President Obama.
2016: Alicia Keys Appealed to Paul Ryan for Criminal Justice Reform
In 2016, Alicia Keys made a video appeal to Congressman Paul Ryan asking him to "be her Valentine" and commit to giving legislation on criminal justice reform a vote. Ryan made this commitment days later, with support from #cut50 and "100 A-List celebrities".
2016: Magic Labs Media Produced "The Messy Truth"
In 2016, Magic Labs Media, a media company founded and owned by Jones, produced "The Messy Truth" miniseries, which won a Webby Award.
2016: Launched The Messy Truth
In 2016, Van Jones launched "The Messy Truth", a news feature documentary series.
2017: The Messy Truth with Van Jones Aired
In 2017, "The Messy Truth with Van Jones", a subsequent studio discussion series to the news feature documentary series, aired on CNN.
May 2018: Met with Trump and Kushner to Discuss Criminal Justice Reform
In May 2018, Van Jones and other members of #cut50 met with Jared Kushner and President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a criminal justice reform bill.
October 18, 2019: Defended Tulsi Gabbard Against Clinton's Claims
On October 18, 2019, Van Jones defended Tulsi Gabbard against Hillary Clinton's suggestion that Russians were "grooming" Gabbard to be a third-party candidate to help President Trump win reelection.
2019: Launched The Redemption Project with Van Jones
In 2019, Van Jones launched "The Redemption Project with Van Jones", a show focused on restorative justice. The show brought "offenders face to face with the people most affected by their violent crimes."
May 29, 2020: Comments on CNN's New Day
On May 29, 2020, during a CNN's New Day segment, Van Jones spoke about the incident involving Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper. He stated that "even the most liberal, well-intentioned white person has a virus in his or her brain that can be activated at an instant."
2020: Magic Labs Media Produced "The Messy Truth VR experience"
In 2020, Magic Labs Media produced "The Messy Truth VR experience", which won an Emmy Award.
2020: Advised Trump White House on Police Reform
In late spring 2020, following the death of George Floyd and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, Van Jones advised the Trump White House on police reform policy and praised the president's executive order on police reform in media appearances. He was later criticized for not revealing his consulting work while working as a CNN pundit.
2021: Uncommon Ground with Van Jones Podcast Began
In 2021, the weekly podcast "Uncommon Ground with Van Jones" began.
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