LeAlan Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
LeAlan Jones
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| Personal details | |
| Born | May 8, 1979 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Green Party |
| Residences | Bronzeville, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Occupation | Journalist, Football Coach/Trainer |
LeAlan Marvin Jones (born May 8, 1979) is an American journalist who lives in Chicago. He is well-known for his award-winning radio documentaries. Jones was also a candidate for the United States Senate in Illinois in 2010, representing the Green Party.
Contents
Early Life and Amazing Documentaries
Jones grew up in the South Side of Chicago, near the Ida B. Wells housing project. His grandparents, Gus and June Jones, raised him in the same family home since the 1930s.
When he was 13, Jones and his friend Lloyd Newman created a radio documentary called Ghetto Life 101 for NPR. A producer named David Isay helped them. The documentary showed what life was like in the South Side of Chicago in 1993. The boys recorded interviews with their families, friends, and other people in their community. The broadcast was very popular and won several awards. These included the Sigma Delta Chi Award and awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
In 1994, Jones and Newman made another documentary called The 14 Stories of Eric Morse. This film looked at the lives of people connected to a five-year-old boy named Eric Morse. The documentary first aired on NPR's All Things Considered in 1996. It also won important awards, like the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award and a Peabody Award.
Later, the two documentaries and more recordings were put into a book. It was published in 1997 and called Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago.
Jones graduated from Chicago's Dr. Martin Luther King High School in 1997. He studied criminology at Florida State University. He later transferred to Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois in 2001. He earned a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Social Science.
Jones also started the Aspiring Youth Take A Student To your Employment (TASTE) Program. He created this program because he believed students would learn more by visiting workplaces. This way, they could see why school is important and what they need to do to get a good job. The TASTE Program has helped over 13,500 students visit workplaces across the country.
Running for U.S. Senate in 2010
Jones decided to run for the United States Senate during a time of political issues in Illinois. In 2009, he announced he would run in the 2010 election. He was seeking the seat held by Roland Burris. Burris had been appointed after Barack Obama became President of the United States.
Jones ran without opposition in the Green Party primary election. This meant he became the Green Party's candidate. In the main election in November 2010, he ran against Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Alexi Giannoulias.
Early polls showed Jones getting some support. After some controversy about Mark Kirk's past, Jones's support grew. A survey in June showed him gaining more votes. In the end, Jones received 3.18% of the votes.
2013 Special Election
In 2012, Representative Jesse Jackson Jr. resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives. This meant a special election was needed for Illinois's 2nd congressional district.
On December 4, 2012, the Illinois Green Party chose Jones as their candidate. He would represent the 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House.
Political Beliefs
LeAlan Jones has spoken about several important political ideas. He believes the U.S. should agree to UNICEF's Convention on the Rights of the Child. This is a treaty that protects children's rights around the world.
He also supports banning land mines and getting rid of all nuclear weapons. Jones has also called for troops to leave Afghanistan and Iraq.
He has also shared his concerns about the financial industry. He believes that some practices in the financial world can cause problems for communities.
