Ja'Mal Green

Ja'Mal Green is an American community activist from Chicago, Illinois. A Black Lives Matter activist,[1][2] he was an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of Chicago in 2019 and 2023.[3][4][5]

Ja'Mal Green
Born (1995-08-09) August 9, 1995
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Political partyIndependent

Biography

Born in 1995, Green grew up in the Englewood, Gresham and Beverly neighborhoods of Chicago.[6]

In 2016, Green served as the official surrogate for Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign.[6] In the same year, he was arrested along with 19 others at the Taste of Chicago, where an anti-police brutality event was being organized.[4]

In 2018, he along with his team founded Majostee Allstars, an urban center which provides guidance and training to underprivileged youth.[6]

Ja'Mal Green was a candidate in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, but withdrew on January 1, 2019 citing insufficient campaign resources to fight a challenge by Willie Wilson to signatures on his ballot petition.[7] Green endorsed Lori Lightfoot in the runoff election.[8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Green created Mobile Nail Salon.[9]

In June 2020, Green started protesting along with other activists against Chase Bank's loan policy and demanded to retain and implement Community Reinvestment Act.[10] On June 3, 2020, WBEZ published a report in which it was written that, in over a six year period, Chase Bank only handed out 1.9 percent of total loans to black-majority neighborhoods.[10] Due to his persistent protests, he was banned from entering Chase Bank branches in July 2020.[11]

In July 2020, he created The Small Business Repair Program along with David Doig to help black-owned businesses which were affected due to looting.[12] The amount for the program was raised through donations.[12]

Green became well-known after his activism surrounding the Laquan McDonald case.[13] In February 2022, he was again arrested for taking part in a protest which was demanding the arrest of a police officer named Jason Van Dyke for his murder of Laquan McDonald.[14][15]

He is also the founder of an organization called My Turn to Own.[16]

In June 2022 Green announced that he intended to run for mayor of Chicago again on a platform focused on public safety, modernizing city government, economic development, and climate change.[17] Green filed petitions to be on the ballot for the 2023 Chicago mayoral election in December of 2022 and won a lottery to be the first candidate listed on the ballot.[18] In the initial round of the election, Green was defeated, placing sixth of nine candidates with 12,239 votes (2.17% of the election's overall vote). Green endorsed Paul Vallas in the runoff election.[19]

Books
  • Class Clown: Three Strikes But Not Out (2014)

Filmography
  • Of Boys and Men (2008)
  • It Takes a Village (2009)
  • Reggie Yates: Life and Death in Chicago Film (2016)

Electoral history
2023 Chicago mayoral election
Candidate General election[20] Runoff election
Votes % Votes %
Brandon Johnson 121,919 21.63% TBD TBD
Paul Vallas 185,540 32.91% TBD TBD
Lori Lightfoot (incumbent) 94,716 16.80%
Chuy García 77,123 13.68%
Willie Wilson 51,490 9.13%
Ja'Mal Green 12,239 2.17%
Kam Buckner 11,064 1.96%
Sophia King 7,176 1.27%
Roderick Sawyer 2,437 0.43%
Write-ins 29 0.00% TBD TBD
Total 563,733 100.00% TBD TBD
Note: General election results are based upon an uncertified summary report

References
  1. "Police Say They Arrested More Than 100 People During Mag Mile Looting". August 10, 2020.
  2. "USA TODAY live 1961 events highlight civil rights wins, showcase musicians, activists, poets". USA Today.
  3. Fernandez, Daniel (July 6, 2020). "Why JPMorgan Chase Should Give $1 Billion to Black Neighborhoods in Chicago". The Nation. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. "Ja'Mal Green: 22-Year-Old Activist Sets Sights on City Hall".
  5. "Wilson enters 2023 mayoral race, calls 2019 endorsement of Lightfoot 'hell of a mistake'". CBS News.
  6. "Ja'Mal Green Empowers Inner-City Residents with Home Ownership". August 31, 2021.
  7. LaTour, Amee (January 1, 2019). "Ja'Mal Green withdraws from Chicago mayoral race, 17 candidates remain – Ballotpedia News". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  8. Green, Ja'Mal [@JaymalGreen] (March 22, 2019). "Ja'Mal Green on Twitter: "I'm proud to endorse @LightfootForChi for mayor of Chicago. She is the mayor we need at this time. I also commended Toni Preckwinkle on her years of service and I hope they both can work together in the near future. Our agenda is plain and Lori has adopted it. #lightfootformayor‌ t.co/tYh303qBdS"" (Tweet). Retrieved April 2, 2019 – via Twitter.
  9. "Some Chicagoans find success with starting small businesses amid pandemic". March 4, 2021.
  10. "Chicago Activist Ja'Mal Green Calls for Change at Chase Bank, Warns of 'Pop-Up Protests'".
  11. "Chase Bank Bans Chicago Activist Protesting Lending Disparities". July 17, 2020.
  12. "South Side Businesses Get a Chance to Rebuild Thanks to Activist's Grant Program". July 10, 2020.
  13. "Can This 22-Year-Old Activist Become the Next Mayor of Chicago?". June 14, 2018.
  14. "Ja'Mal Green, William Calloway fined, ordered to stay away from federal courthouse after van Dyke protest". February 8, 2022.
  15. "Protesters raise voices in the Loop after ex-cop Jason van Dyke, convicted in shooting of Laquan McDonald, leaves prison". Chicago Tribune.
  16. "Community activist Ja'Mal Green leads program to increase inner city home ownership". August 29, 2021.
  17. "Community Activist Ja'Mal Green Enters 2023 Chicago Mayoral Race". June 14, 2022.
  18. "Ja'Mal Green, 8 Black aldermen take top ballot spots in city election". December 13, 2022.
  19. Myers, Quinn (March 15, 2023). "Ja'Mal Green Endorses Paul Vallas, Attorney General Kwame Raoul Backs Brandon Johnson In Mayoral Runoff". Block Club Chicago. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  20. "CITY OF CHICAGO CHI 20230228 Ver G February 28, 2023 Summary Report - Unofficial Results" (PDF). Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago. March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
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