Early Life and Education of Van Jones: A Complete Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: October 6, 2025

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Van Jones. A timeline of key moments.

Van Jones is an American political analyst, media personality, lawyer, author, and civil rights advocate. He's known for his work as a CNN host and contributor, and for his three New York Times bestselling books. Jones is also an Emmy Award winner, highlighting his contributions to media and political discourse.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles

September 20, 1968: Van Jones's Birth

On September 20, 1968, Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones was born. He became an American political analyst, media personality, lawyer, author, and civil rights advocate.

Others born on this day/year

1983: Misconduct incidents by Marc Andaya

In 1983, officer Marc Andaya had a record of incidents of misconduct.

1986: Graduation from High School

In 1986, Van Jones graduated from Jackson Central-Merry High School in his hometown.

August 1992: Political Radicalization

In August 1992, Van Jones stated that he had become a communist, influenced by the Rodney King case.

1992: Legal Observer

In 1992, Van Jones worked as a legal observer for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights during protests related to the Rodney King case.

1993: Misconduct incidents by Marc Andaya

Between 1983 and 1993, Marc Andaya was named in 10 complaints, eight of them allegedly for misuse of physical force, when he was a policeman with the Oakland Police Department.

1995: In-custody death of Aaron Williams

In 1995, Aaron Williams, an unarmed black man, died in custody after fighting with several officers, leading to community outrage and pressure on the department to bring justice against officer Marc Andaya.

August 2008: Featured on Sea Change Radio

In August 2008, Van Jones was featured on the grassroots radio program Sea Change Radio.

February 2009: Berkeley Lecture

In February 2009, Van Jones gave a lecture at the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative.

July 2009: Color of Change Campaign

In July 2009, Color of Change, which Jones had founded, launched a campaign urging advertisers on Beck's Fox News show to pull their ads due to comments made by Beck about President Obama.

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June 2011: Launch of Rebuild the Dream Campaign

In June 2011, Van Jones collaborated with MoveOn.org to launch the Rebuild the Dream campaign. This initiative aimed to establish a progressive American Dream movement as a counter to the Tea Party movement.

June 23, 2011: Rebuild the Dream Campaign Kickoff

On June 23, 2011, the Rebuild the Dream campaign officially kicked off with performances by The Roots and a DJ set by Shepard Fairey. The campaign also announced its "Contract for the American Dream" as a counter to the Tea Party's "Contract from America."

July 2011: House Meetings for Rebuild the Dream

In July 2011, house meetings were held as part of the Rebuild the Dream campaign. Van Jones claimed that by the end of July 2011, 127,000 people had become involved in the movement.

August 2012: Prince Concerts to Support Rebuild the Dream

In August 2012, Prince announced a series of concerts in Chicago to support the Rebuild the Dream campaign. Prince, along with Van Jones and Rosario Dawson, promoted the concerts on The View.