Events
- Stories of Courage & Songs of Hope: A Benefit for Thanks But No Tank
- Zoe Weil´s One Woman Show in Ellsworth, Maine
- Paul Chappell to Offer Leadership Training Seminar in Maine
- Maine People's Alliance Fundraiser
- Portraits & Songs of Social Justice at the Maine Jewish Museum
- Martin De Porres Center Hosts AWTT Portraits
- Dolores Volk - Elizabeth 'Mumbet' Freeman Portrait at Miami University
- Unveiling of David Swanson Portrait
- Terry Tempest Williams Interviews Rob Shetterly
- Rob Shetterly to speak at Dayton International Peace Museum
Van Jones
Civil Rights Lawyer : b. 1968
Biography
Born in rural Tennessee, Jones graduated in 1990 from the University of Tennessee and, in 1993, from Yale Law School. At the age of 27, Jones convinced the California State Bar Association to allow him to begin a program that would provide lawyer referral services for police abuse victims.
Jones, a civil-rights lawyer, is founder and executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a nonprofit agency for justice, opportunities, and peace in urban America. Located in Oakland, California, the Center focuses on campaigning to reform California’s abusive and costly youth prison system, creating opportunities in the "green" economy for poor communities and communities of color, supporting victims and survivors of police abuse and their families, and uplifting young people and addressing Bay Area violence with a mix of activism and street culture.
Jones has lead many campaigns including Books Not Bars, an advocacy program for parents/grandparents of incarcerated youth in the United States. It has been credited with a 30% drop in the total number of youth incarcerated in California. Additionally Jones sits on numerous governing boards, and following Hurricane Katrina co-founded an online activist community addressing African American issues.