Jehmu Greene
Encyclopedia
Jehmu Greene is an American political commentator and social justice organizer. Greene was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Austin, Texas
. Greene is the daughter of Liberian immigrants.
, Jake Brewer, and Alicia Menendez. Define American seeks to elevate the conversation on immigration reform.
In 2010, Greene joined Fox News Channel
as a contributor.
Throughout her career, she has worked with the media to build high-profile social justice
campaigns. A commentator on Fox News, CNN
, MSNBC
and elsewhere, Greene helmed Rock the Vote
from 2000-2005. Under her leadership, Rock the Vote
's membership grew from 1,500 to 1 million, the organization registered 1.4 million new voters, worked with over 200 celebrities, and helped propel record youth voter turnout in the 2004 elections. She was the first African American
to serve as President of Rock the Vote
.
From 2009-2010, Greene was president of Women’s Media Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women’s advocacy organization founded in 2005 by writers/activists Jane Fonda
, Robin Morgan
, and Gloria Steinem
.
In 2010, Greene was appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO
.
Greene served as an advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
She was a member of the Citizen's Debate Commission and previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Prospect Magazine; Demos; Youth Vote Coalition; The Entrepreneurial Development Institute (TEDI). She has also served as an Advisory Board Member of the Partnership for Public Service; Campus Green Vote; Vote for America; The White House Project's Vote-Run-Lead Project; and Freedom's Answer
. Greene was a co-founder and Board Member of the 2030 Center, an economic and public policy organization for young adults.
Greene served on the Credentials Committee for the 2004 Democratic National Convention
in Boston, Massachusetts. After the 2004 elections, Greene was appointed by Terry McAuliffe
, DNC Chairman, to serve on the Commission on Presidential Timing and Scheduling. The Commission concluded its work in December 2005 and submitted its report to DNC Chairman, Howard Dean
. To address diversity, representation, and participation issues in a meaningful way, the Commission recommended that there be an additional one or two first-tier caucuses inserted between the Iowa caucus
and the New Hampshire primary
.
Greene is a former National Director of Project Vote.
From 1998-2000 Greene served as the Director of Women's Outreach and Southern Political Director at the Democratic National Committee
(DNC). Greene also served as the Program Director for the Center for Policy Alternatives' Youth Voices Project and National Student Voter Education Day, Volunteer Coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin
Neighborhood Longhorns Program, and Executive Director of the Texas Young Democrats. In addition, she has worked on numerous campaigns, including Clinton/Gore '96, Harvey Gantt for U.S. Senate, Lloyd Doggett for Congress, Jim Mattox for U.S. Senate, and Ann Richards for Governor.
In 1999, Greene traveled to Botswana
and South Africa
on behalf of the United States Information Agency
(USIA) to encourage young voters to participate in the upcoming elections.
Greene was a founder and Managing Partner of Urban Hang Suite, a party promotion and Internet company that specialized in social networking services for African American professionals in Washington, DC.
, MTV
News, the Daily Show, Anderson Cooper 360, Dennis Miller Live
, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Bloomberg Television, NPR's News and Notes with Ed Gordon, Democracy Now with Amy Goodman
, and Tavis Smiley
's State of Black America.
Greene was recognized as one of Essence Magazine's 40 Women Under 40 Shaping the World, and received the National Conference for Community and Justice
's Community Service Award, American Association of University Women's Women of Distinction Award and National Council for Research on Women Women Making a Difference Award. Essence Magazine also named Greene one of the 35 Most Beautiful and Remarkable Women in the World.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Greene is the daughter of Liberian immigrants.
Career
Greene co-founded Define American in June 2011 with Jose Antonio VargasJose Antonio Vargas
Jose Antonio Vargas is a Filipino journalist living and working in the United States. He is known for his coverage of HIV, the Virginia Tech shootings, and the influence that politics and the Internet have on each other. In 2008, Vargas was part of the team which won the Pulitzer Prize for...
, Jake Brewer, and Alicia Menendez. Define American seeks to elevate the conversation on immigration reform.
In 2010, Greene joined Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
as a contributor.
Throughout her career, she has worked with the media to build high-profile social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
campaigns. A commentator on Fox News, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
and elsewhere, Greene helmed Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
from 2000-2005. Under her leadership, Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
's membership grew from 1,500 to 1 million, the organization registered 1.4 million new voters, worked with over 200 celebrities, and helped propel record youth voter turnout in the 2004 elections. She was the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to serve as President of Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
.
From 2009-2010, Greene was president of Women’s Media Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit women’s advocacy organization founded in 2005 by writers/activists Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda
Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an...
, Robin Morgan
Robin Morgan
Robin Morgan is a former child actor turned American radical feminist activist, writer, poet, and editor of Sisterhood is Powerful and Ms. Magazine....
, and Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
.
In 2010, Greene was appointed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
Greene served as an advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
She was a member of the Citizen's Debate Commission and previously served on the Board of Directors of the American Prospect Magazine; Demos; Youth Vote Coalition; The Entrepreneurial Development Institute (TEDI). She has also served as an Advisory Board Member of the Partnership for Public Service; Campus Green Vote; Vote for America; The White House Project's Vote-Run-Lead Project; and Freedom's Answer
Freedom's Answer
Freedom's Answer is a non-partisan, youth-led voter turnout drive led by a coalition of youth organizations nationwide. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, four young leaders came together in Washington, D.C...
. Greene was a co-founder and Board Member of the 2030 Center, an economic and public policy organization for young adults.
Greene served on the Credentials Committee for the 2004 Democratic National Convention
2004 Democratic National Convention
The 2004 Democratic National Convention convened from July 26 to July 29, 2004 at the FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts, and nominated John Kerry and John Edwards as the official candidates of the Democratic Party for President and Vice President of the United States, respectively, in the 2004...
in Boston, Massachusetts. After the 2004 elections, Greene was appointed by Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe
Terence Richard "Terry" McAuliffe is a longtime leader and political advisor for the United States Democratic Party. He served as chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005. He served as Co-Chairman of President William Jefferson Clinton's 1996 re-election campaign and also...
, DNC Chairman, to serve on the Commission on Presidential Timing and Scheduling. The Commission concluded its work in December 2005 and submitted its report to DNC Chairman, Howard Dean
Howard Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
. To address diversity, representation, and participation issues in a meaningful way, the Commission recommended that there be an additional one or two first-tier caucuses inserted between the Iowa caucus
Iowa caucus
The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the U.S. state of Iowa meet in precinct caucuses in all of Iowa's 1784 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. There are 99 counties in Iowa and thus 99 conventions...
and the New Hampshire primary
New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
.
Greene is a former National Director of Project Vote.
From 1998-2000 Greene served as the Director of Women's Outreach and Southern Political Director at the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
(DNC). Greene also served as the Program Director for the Center for Policy Alternatives' Youth Voices Project and National Student Voter Education Day, Volunteer Coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
Neighborhood Longhorns Program, and Executive Director of the Texas Young Democrats. In addition, she has worked on numerous campaigns, including Clinton/Gore '96, Harvey Gantt for U.S. Senate, Lloyd Doggett for Congress, Jim Mattox for U.S. Senate, and Ann Richards for Governor.
In 1999, Greene traveled to Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
on behalf of the United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...
(USIA) to encourage young voters to participate in the upcoming elections.
Greene was a founder and Managing Partner of Urban Hang Suite, a party promotion and Internet company that specialized in social networking services for African American professionals in Washington, DC.
In the news
Greene is a frequent guest on Fox News. She has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including The O'Reilly FactorThe O'Reilly Factor
The O'Reilly Factor, originally titled The O'Reilly Report from 1996 to 1998 and often called The Factor, is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who often discusses current controversial political issues with guests.The program was the most watched...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
News, the Daily Show, Anderson Cooper 360, Dennis Miller Live
Dennis Miller Live
Dennis Miller Live is a weekly talk show on HBO, hosted by comedian Dennis Miller. The show ran 215 episodes from 1994 to 2002, and received five Emmy awards, plus an additional 11 Emmy nominations...
, CBS Evening News, NBC Nightly News, Bloomberg Television, NPR's News and Notes with Ed Gordon, Democracy Now with Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman
Amy Goodman is an American progressive broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter and author. Goodman is the host of Democracy Now!, an independent global news program broadcast daily on radio, television and the internet.-Early life:Goodman was born in Bay Shore, New York...
, and Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
's State of Black America.
Greene was recognized as one of Essence Magazine's 40 Women Under 40 Shaping the World, and received the National Conference for Community and Justice
National Conference for Community and Justice
The National Conference for Community and Justice is a national, human relations, non-profit organization in the United States. Its mission is to fight bias, bigotry, and racism and promote understanding and respect through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.The NCCJ was founded in 1927...
's Community Service Award, American Association of University Women's Women of Distinction Award and National Council for Research on Women Women Making a Difference Award. Essence Magazine also named Greene one of the 35 Most Beautiful and Remarkable Women in the World.