On Monday Van Jones was named Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at CEQ (Council for Enviromental Quality). Jones is the founder of Green For All and the author of the 2008 New York Times best-seller, The Green Collar Economy.
In the clip above, Van Jones lays out the historical context and present day significance of the environmental movement for African Americans, a group he sees could singularly benefit from Barack Obama's proposed and ambitious Green Revolution. With unemployment among black youth (16-24) running well over 30% now the need is certainly there. Jones was addressing the 2009 State of the Black Union.
Jones addressed the Administration's panel on Green Jobs this past Monday. Vice-President Biden, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and Energy Secretary Stephen Chu attended. Jones' presentation begins after John Podesta, about 10 minutes into this whitehouse.gov video.
Elizabeth Kolbert of the New Yorker profiled Jones in January:
"Your goal has to be to get the greenest solutions to the poorest people," Jones told me. "That’s the only goal that’s morally compelling enough to generate enough energy to pull this transition off. The challenge is making this an everybody movement, so your main icons are Joe Six-Pack—Joe the Plumber—becoming Joe the Solar Guy, or that kid on the street corner putting down his handgun, picking up a caulk gun."
