Ja'Mal Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ja'Mal Green
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Green in 2021
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| Born | August 9, 1995 |
| Political party | Democratic (before 2025) Independent (2025–present) |
| Children | 3 |
Ja'Mal Green was born on August 9, 1995. He is a community activist from Chicago, Illinois. An activist is someone who works to bring about social or political change. Green is known for his work with the Black Lives Matter movement. He has also run for mayor of Chicago two times, in 2019 and 2023.
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Early Life and Education
Ja'Mal Green was born in 1995. He grew up in different neighborhoods in Chicago, including Englewood, Gresham, and Beverly. He went to Wendell Phillips Academy High School.
Ja'Mal Green's Career and Activism
Green has often said he supported Bernie Sanders during his 2016 presidential campaign. In that same year, Green was arrested with 19 other people at the Taste of Chicago festival. They were protesting against police actions.
In 2018, Green helped start a group called Majostee Allstars. This group aimed to guide and train young people who faced challenges. The company later closed in May 2024.
Running for Mayor of Chicago
Green decided to run for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election. However, he stopped his campaign on January 1, 2019. He explained that he did not have enough money or support to continue. He later supported Lori Lightfoot in the final round of the election. In that election, he received a few write-in votes.
He ran for mayor again in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election. He focused on important topics like public safety, making city government better, helping the economy grow, and dealing with climate change. In the first round of the election, Green placed sixth out of nine candidates. He received 12,239 votes. After this, he supported Paul Vallas in the runoff election.
Community Work and Programs
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Green started a business called Mobile Nail Salon. This was part of his company, Majostee Spa. This business also later closed. He had started several other businesses that also closed over time.
In June 2020, Green began protesting against Chase Bank's loan policies. He wanted the bank to follow the Community Reinvestment Act. This act encourages banks to help low- and moderate-income communities. A report in June 2020 showed that Chase Bank gave only a small percentage of its loans to Black-majority neighborhoods. Because of his ongoing protests, Green was not allowed to enter Chase Bank branches starting in July 2020.
In July 2020, Green and David Doig created The Small Business Repair Program. This program was designed to help Black-owned businesses that had been affected by events in the city.
Green also started a nonprofit organization in 2021 called My Turn to Own. This group aimed to help people become homeowners. My Turn to Own closed in April 2024.
Green gained attention for his activism related to the Laquan McDonald case. In February 2022, he was arrested again during a protest. The protest called for the arrest of a former Chicago police officer involved in the murder of Laquan McDonald.
Books and Films
Ja'Mal Green has written a book and appeared in some films.
Books by Ja'Mal Green
- Class Clown: Three Strikes But Not Out (2014)
Films Featuring Ja'Mal Green
- Of Boys and Men (2008)
- It Takes a Village (2009)
- Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago Film (2016)
