The Truth About Color of Change



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The Truth About Color of Change

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SUMMARY OF FINDINGS


  • Color of Change was co-founded by liberal activist Van Jones, a (former) avowed Communist and supporter of the 9/11 “Truth” movement.

  • Van Jones was inspired to create Color of Change by Kanye West’s comment that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

  • Color of Change has modeled itself after Move On. Color of Change co-founder James Rucker was a political operative for Move On.

  • Color of Change (or its parent) has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in funding from organizations controlled by George Soros.

  • Color of Change has received support from other liberal organizations, including the Tides Foundation.

  • Color of Change has received funding and other support from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

  • Color of Change partnered with ACORN on advocacy campaigns.

  • Color of Change has collaborated with Media Matters in campaigns targeting Fox News.

  • Color of Change has expressed support for the Occupy movement.

  • Color of Change has a history of aligning with anti-ALEC organizations, including People for the American Way and Common Cause.

  • Color of Change has attacked Democrats that have diverged from its extreme ideological agenda, including the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. Bobby Rush and supporters of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.

  • Color of Change purports to have 800,000 members, but this merely appears to be the (alleged) size of its e-mail list.

  • Color of Change appears to have no interest in negotiating or seeking accommodation. It is simply bent on damaging the reputation of its targets, typically corporations, until the target capitulates to make the problem “go away.” Color of Change’s campaign against Glenn Beck appears to have served as a model for future efforts.



COMPENDIUM OF FINDINGS
Color of Change Was Co-Founded by Van Jones
Color of Change was co-founded in 2005 by liberal activist Van Jones, who later served briefly as an environmental adviser in the Obama White House. In September 2009, Jones resigned his White House position under pressure amid revelations of his long history of extreme political views, including:1 2


  • Avowed communism.

  • Support for the 9/11 “Truth” movement.

  • Ties to the “radical” Bay Area group “Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement” (STORM).

  • Advocacy on behalf of death row inmate and convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

At the time of Jones’s resignation, Color of Change co-founder James Rucker attempted to downplay Jones’s links to the 9/11 “Truth” movement: “There’s the question of whether even Van knew. In fact, there are several other folks, including Michael Lerner, Howard Zinn, who claimed that 9/11 petition changed after they signed it.”3



Color of Change Was Inspired by Kanye West’s Smear of President George W. Bush
Van Jones was inspired to found Color of Change by Kanye West’s comment that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Jones explained: “He captured the sentiment that everybody had, and he was the first person to go ahead and say it.”4
Color of Change sold t-shirts emblazoned “Kanye was right” as a “way to get the word out and help support our efforts.”5

Color of Change’s Forerunner Organization Is Citizen Engagement Laboratory
Color of Change “sprung from the East Bay’s nonprofit Citizen Engagement Laboratory Citizen Engagement Laboratory.”6

Funding Tables
Color of Change and its parent / fiscal sponsor, Citizen Engagement Laboratory, have received the following reported funding. Grants to Citizen Engagement Laboratory directed specifically toward Color of Change are highlighted in yellow. In addition to the grants listed below, Move On founder Wes Boyd contributed $5,000 to the ColorofChange.org PAC in 2008.7


Donor

Recipient

Amount

Year Authorized

Description

Geographic Focus

Notes

Atlantic Philanthropies

ColorofChange.org

$100,000

2010

2010 Get-Out-the-Vote







Atlantic Philanthropies

ColorofChange.org

$1,500,000

2010

Citizen Engagement Laboratory: Core Support







Public Welfare Foundation

ColorOfChange.org

$175,000

2010

ColorOfChange.org/Citizen Engagement Laboratory

National




San Francisco Foundation

ColorOfChange.org

$100,000

2007

For charitable fund

Calif.




San Francisco Foundation

ColorofChange.org

$150,000

2010




Calif.







Donor

Recipient

Amount

Year Authorized

Description

Geographic Focus

Notes

Ford Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$150,000

2008

For Our Share, project to help media and advocacy organizations expand their audiences and implement digital content to facilitate online community organizing.

National; international




Ford Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$400,000

2009

To create online communities, produce action-oriented videos about pressing social and environmental issues and develop technology tools to help social

justice organizations disseminate content.



National; international




Ford Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$560,000

2010

For media and technology services for online organizing projects that engage underrepresented communities and to develop campaign to increase African-American participation in the census.

National; international




Ford Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$300,000

2010

For Presente.org Immigrant Rights Online Organizing and Advocacy Project to respond to the enforcement-only approach to immigration reform and strengthen the immigrants' rights movement.

National; international




Ford Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$1,000,000

2011

For the strategic incubation of projects that build the capacity of under-organized communities to engage on the social justice issues that matter to them, including

presente.org and colorofchange.org.

National; international




Libra Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$20,000

2010

For several projects (including ColorOfChange.org, Presente.org, and Video The Vote) to enhance membership, deepen the engagement of existing members, and strengthen their impact in the media and on public policy.

Calif., Ill.




Mitchell Kapor Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$60,000

2008

For general operating support.

National; Calif.




Open Society Institute

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$250,000

2009

For Citizen Engagement Laboratory and Color of Change.

National; international




Open Society Institute

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$150,000

2010

For the Citizen Engagement Laboratory.

National; international




Proteus Fund

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$100,000

2010

For ColorOfChange.org in national campaign refuting the arguments against net neutrality being made by traditional civil rights groups.

Calif.; D.C.; Iowa; Ill.; Ky.; La.; Mass.; Md.; Maine; N.C.; N.Y.; Ore.; Texas; Wis.




Service Employees International Union

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$25,000

2009










Surdna Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$75,000

2011

To help support the Culture Strike project to strengthen the capacity of visual artists and writers to collaborate with advocacy organizations to advance social

change causes.



Calif.; D.C.; N.Y.






Tides Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$10,000

2009

For general support. Grant made through League of Young Voters Education Fund.

National; international




Tides Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$50,000

2009

For general support. Grant made through League of Young Voters Education Fund

National; international




Tides Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$20,000

2009

For general support. Grant made through League of Young Voters Education Fund.

National; international




Tides Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$140,000

2009

For general support. Grant made through League of Young Voters Education Fund.

National; international




Tides Foundation

Citizen Engagement Laboratory

$20,000

2009

For general support. Grant made through League of Young Voters Education Fund.

National; international




Nathan Cummings Fund

League of Young Voters Education Fund

$75,000

2008

For Citizen Engagement Laboratory, a project that helps organizations leverage technology and digital media to inform citizens, build community, encourage activism, and create leaders of future social change by producing a series of short videos about social and environmental issues for online distribution.

National





Source: Foundation Center, Foundation Directory Online; Foundation Annual Reports; Department of Labor LM-2 filings

Leadership
On March 23, 2011, Color of Change announced that Rashad Robinson would replace James Rucker as executive director, effective May 2, 2011. Rucker continues to serve as Chairman of Color of Change’s board of directors.8
Robinson most recently had served as Senior Director of Programs for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).9
Robinson previously served as Communications Director for the Right to Vote Campaign, “a national collaboration of eight major civil rights and voting organizations – including the NAACP, People for the American Way and the ACLU,” and as National Field Director with the Center for Voting and Democracy. In 2003, he reportedly served as lead organizer for the Claim Democracy Conference, which “featured national civil rights leaders, presidential candidates and congressional leaders.”10
Robinson purports to have “advised many progressive organizations” as a “leading strategist working with Hollywood to change cultural attitudes[.]”11


Color of Change Has Sought to Emulate Move On
Van Jones launched Color of Change “to become the racial justice equivalent of MoveOn.org.”12
Color of Change co-founder James Rucker is a former Grassroots Mobilization Director for MoveOn.org Political Action and Moveon.org Civic Action.13
According to one account: “Rucker enjoyed the work, but he and MoveOn’s leaders struggled with how to bring more people of color to its campaigns. They talked about spinning off an organization, but Rucker knew it would have to be an independent, black-led group to gain legitimacy among African Americans.”14

Color of Change Has Received Significant Support from George Soros
Citizen Engagement Laboratory, the fiscal sponsor / parent of Color of Change, has received at least $400,000 in funding from George Soros’s Open Society Institute.15
Color of Change co-founder James Rucker was part of the Democracy Alliance, “a network of investors building progressive change” launched by George Soros.16
In August 2010, the Open Society Institute “launched an online fundraising campaign with MoveOn and ColorOfChange.org to raise funds for Open Society Foundations grantees … working to transform New Orleans.” Move On and Color of Change “appeal[ed] to their members to donate $500,000 to mark the anniversary of Katrina and the floods,” and the Open Society Foundations pledged to “match those donations dollar-for-dollar.”17

Color of Change Has Received Support from Other Liberal Organizations
Citizen Engagement Laboratory, the fiscal sponsor / parent of Color of Change, has received at least $240,000 in funding from Tides Foundation.18
Citizen Engagement Laboratory has received at least $2.4 million in funding from the Ford Foundation, including $1 million in 2011 alone.19
In 2011, the Ford Foundation provided $575,000 in funding to left-wing filmmaker Robert Greenwald’s Brave New Foundation, which has produced anti-ALEC videos.20

Color of Change Has Received Funding and Other Support from the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
In 2009, the SEIU made a $25,000 contribution to Citizen Engagement Laboratory, the fiscal sponsor / parent of Color of Change.21
In 2011, the SEIU provided $250,000 in funding to the Brave New Foundation, which has produced anti-ALEC videos.22
SEIU and Color of Change collaborated in a late March 2012 demonstration at ALEC’s office.23
Color of Change Partnered with ACORN on Advocacy Campaigns
In 2006, Color of Change and ACORN were partners in the “END THE BLACKOUT” campaign to “end Black voter disenfranchisement.”24
In 2008, Color of Change and ACORN were partners in the “Green Jobs Now National Day of Action.”25

Color of Change Has Collaborated with MediaMatters
MediaMatters supported Color of Change’s campaign urging corporate advertisers to boycott Glenn Beck.26
In 2011, MediaMatters and Color of Change issued a joint statement upon Glenn Beck’s final show on Fox News Channel.27

Color of Change Has Expressed Support for the Occupy Movement
Color of Change has circulated a survey eliciting its members’ views of the Occupy movement.28
Color of Change campaign manager Dani McClain “said that much of the membership supports the Occupy movement, but some have indicated that they do not feel comfortable sleeping outside in tents.” McClain: “Just because the images are of mostly young white people doesn’t mean the concerns that are being raised aren’t reflective of people of color. I think this general desire to see higher accountability among our banks and our financial institutions is definitely a concern that black people have.”29

Color of Change Has a History of Aligning with Other Anti-ALEC Organizations

Color of Change collaborated with People for the American Way and Common Cause to launch “Video the Vote,” which “enlist[ed] volunteer videographers ‘citizen journalists’ to work cooperatively with ‘Election Protection’ lawyers to document problems at the polls as they occur,” and “upload the results to YouTube … in nearly real time[.]”30



Color of Change Has a History of Attacking Democrats Who Diverge from Its Radical Agenda
Even Democrats are not immune from Color of Change’s attacks. Democrats who have veered from the organization’s extreme ideological agenda, including the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Steny Hoyer, Rep. Bobby Rush and supporters of Hillary Clinton, have found themselves targeted by Color of Change’s vitriol:


  • In 2007, as the Congressional Black Caucus and Fox News considered co-sponsoring a Democratic presidential debate, Color of Change co-founder James Rucker wondered if Congressional Black Caucus members had “lost their minds,” and accused the organization of “going down a dangerous path.”31 Keiana Barrett, Congressional Black Caucus staffer: “It is fine for groups to disagree, but ‘they’re not being fair[.]’”32



  • During the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination contest, Color of Change launched a campaign targeting “CBC members … threatening to vote against their constituents, and perhaps against the will of the American people, by casting their superdelegate vote for Senator [Hillary] Clinton.”33 Color of Change “circulated a letter and a petition … promising that the Democrats will pay a ‘political price’ if they overturn the will of black and young voters and choose Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y) as the party’s nominee over Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.).”34




  • In 2008, Color of Change sponsored an advertisement in The Washington Post attacking Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for supporting immunity for telecommunications companies in the Foreign Surveillance Intelligence Act.



  • In early 2010, Color of Change circulated “a survey asking its … members for their views on the [Congressional Black] caucus.” Members were asked if they agreed with statements that included: “The Congressional Black Caucus can’t have it both ways, and we should call on members of the CBC to either vastly scale back their relationship to corporate donors or stop claiming that they’re upholding the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement.”35




  • In late 2010, Color of Change opposed Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-Ill.) candidacy to become Ranking Democrat on the House Communications Subcommittee. Color of Change described Rush’s candidacy as “dangerous,” stating that he “has repeatedly supported the interests of the telecommunications industry over the interests of regular people, and has been a fierce opponent of network neutrality.”36 In a letter to Nancy Pelosi, Color of Change co-founder James Rucker asserted, “I have grave doubts that Congressman Rush is capable of being an honest broker on important telecommunications matters.” Congressman Rush responded: “I will not allow the Silicon Valley funded Color of Change.Org group, which purports to ‘strengthen Black America’s political voice’ through the Internet, to call into question my integrity and honesty to lead the Subcommittee …as its Ranking Member. The notion that this Silicon Valley controlled group should have the only word on what is in the best interests of people of color is foolish.”37 But in a vote of committee Democrats, Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) prevailed over Rep. Rush.38




  • David Honig, Co-Founder of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC): “I am going to call out ColorofChange’s James Rucker for denouncing Congressman Bobby Rush’s candidacy for Ranking Member of the House Communications, Technology and the Internet (CTI) Subcommittee. … Congressman Rush’s well thought out concerns surely do not fit Rucker's fabricated charges against him. … Bobby Rush has more than earned the ranking membership. And James Rucker should consider the difference between hubris and humility.”39



Color of Change Organized a Boycott of Glenn Beck’s Television Show, Which It Uses a Template for Other Corporate Campaigns
In 2009, Color of Change launched a campaign “to call on [Glenn] Beck’s advertisers to stop sponsoring his television program” after Beck criticized President Obama and Van Jones on Fox News.40
Color of Change’s campaign was described as “unusually successful.”41 At least 57 companies withdrew advertising from Beck’s program.42
In April 2011, Beck announced his planned departure from Fox News. Color of Change co-founder James Rucker explained how the anti-Beck campaign developed, and how it would serve as a model for future efforts:43
I mean, the strategy from the very beginning was to make Beck an economic liability for Fox. Everyday people, black, brown and otherwise, white and otherwise, found what Beck was doing, in terms of race baiting and deceiving, to be quite a problem. … For major brands, our goal was to make this a liability, to ask a company like Clorox or Lowe’s or Men’s Wearhouse, ‘Do you feel comfortable with your brand being associated with essentially underwriting this kind of rhetoric that Beck is putting out?’ Once the advertisers started to leave, many in the media and mainstream media, in particular wondered, well, can this actually work? One, will companies continue to leave? And then, once they leave, will they just come back in six months or so? And so, the focus was on making sure that, over the long haul, none of them came back and that the ad revenue that comes from the slots, the ad slots on Becks show, the idea was to diminish that value, which did happen. Investors started wondering, how are you sustaining this? How does this make sense that you’re able to charge a lot more on a different program, when Beck is supposed to be this great figure? So, at the end of the day, we knew, over time, it would become a liability they’d have to recognize, but we didn’t know it would come now, and it was definitely great news. (emphasis added)

Color of Change Has Launched Several Campaigns against Fox News
In addition to its campaign against Glenn Beck, Color of Change has launched various other initiatives against Fox News:


  • In March 2007, Color of Change “launched a national letter writing campaign … calling on the Congressional Black Caucus Institute to reject Fox as a partner for their presidential debates.” Color of Change “asked Outfoxed director Robert Greenwald to compile an online video detailing Fox’s record of attacking Blacks,” which was posted to Brave New Films’ website, www.FoxAttacks.com.44




  • In July 2008, Color of Change, MoveOn.org and the rap artist Nas protested Fox News’s coverage of Barack Obama by delivering “more than 600,000 petitions” to the network’s headquarters.45




  • In July 2011, Color of Change planned a protest at Rupert Murdoch’s home over News Corp.’s role in the British phone-hacking scandal.46




  • Color of Change has launched a boycott, “Turn Off Fox,” seeking to “organiz[e] businesses and other public places to stop playing Fox News” in response to the network’s “race-baiting and fear-mongering[.]”47



Color of Change Has “800,000 Members” – On an E-Mail List

Color of Change’s oft-repeated claim that it has “800,000 members” appears to be a reference to the size of its e-mail list. According to The Washington Post: “‘We try to create opportunities for everyday people who are not going to be your in-the-street activists,’ said James Rucker, co-founder of ColorofChange.org, an online civil rights group that he said has an e-mail list of 800,000.”48



Color of Change’s Anti-ALEC Campaign Has Attempted to Extort Corporations by Exploiting the Trayvon Martin Tragedy
In late 2011, Color of Change launched a campaign urging corporations to withdraw from ALEC. Color of Change executive director Rashad Robinson explained that the intent of the initiative is to “place [the corporations] brand next to … discriminatory voter ID laws” reputedly supported by ALEC.49
Color of Change has escalated its attacks against ALEC in the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy, attempting to tie the shooting to “Stand Your Ground” legislation purportedly supported by ALEC.50
Color of Change has accused ALEC of “spreading the deadly ‘kill at will’ laws that have prevented justice for Trayvon Martin and continue to endanger communities across the country,” and has claimed credit for pressuring several corporations to sever ties with the organization.51

References

1 “Obama did not order Van Jones’ resignation, adviser says,” cnn.com, September 6, 2009

2 Scott Wilson and Juliet Eilperin, “In Adviser’s Resignation, Vetting Bites Obama Again,” The Washington Post, September 7, 2009

3 “Tell Me More,” National Public Radio, September 8, 2009

4 Nathaniel Hoffman, “Evacuee treatment spurs action,” Contra Costa Times, September 24, 2005

5 Color of Change, Archived Website as of December 16, 2006, Accessed at http://web.archive.org/web/20061216081249/http://www.colorofchange.org/tshirts.html, April 12, 2012

6 Joe Garofoli, “Online activists use social media to exert pressure,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 17, 2012

7 Center for Responsive Politics, ColorofChange.org PAC Contributions, 2008, Accessed at http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cmte=C00428557&cycle=2008, April 16, 2012

8 Color of Change, Press Release, “ColorOfChange.org announces Rashad Robinson as new Executive Director,” March 23, 2011

9 Id.

10 Id.

11 Id.

12 Nathaniel Hoffman, “Evacuee treatment spurs action,” Contra Costa Times, September 24, 2005

13 Color of Change, Archived Website as of December 28, 2005, Accessed at http://web.archive.org/web/20051228064309/http://colorofchange.org/about.html, April 12, 2012

14 Joe Garofoli, “Beating case galvanizes S.F. online activist group,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 22, 2007

15 Foundation Center, Foundation Directory Online Database

16 “Fox News Watch,” Fox News Network, July 2, 2011

17 Open Society Foundations, Blog, “Supporting the Extraordinary: Open Society in New Orleans,” August 27, 2010, Accessed at http://blog.soros.org/2010/08/supporting-the-extraordinary-open-society-in-new-orleans/, April 12, 2012

18 Foundation Center, Foundation Directory Online Database

19 Id.

20 Id.

21 Department of Labor, LM-2 filings

22 Id.

23 Grae Stafford and Sarah Muro, “Protesters hit conservative group after Martin shooting,” The Daily Caller, March 30, 2012

24 “Rights groups join forces to end Black voter disenfranchisement,” New York Beacon, October 26, 2006 – November 1, 2006

25 Green Jobs Now Website, Accessed at http://www.greenjobsnow.com/about/partners, April 12, 2012

26 Media Matters Blog, “ColorofChange.org: 36 companies have now dropped ads from Beck,” August 24, 2009, Accessed at http://mediamatters.org/blog/200908240127, April 12, 2012

27 Media Matters, Press Release , “Media Matters, Color of Change, and Jewish Funds for Justice Release Statements On Beck's Final Fox Show,” June 30, 2011

28 Color of Change Website, Accessed at http://act.colorofchange.org/survey/occupy_wall_street/, April 12, 2012

29 Nadra Kareem Nittle, “Media, Race, and Occupy,” East Bay Express, November 23, 2011

30 Jonathan Tilove and Chuck McCutcheon, “‘Video the Vote’ Seeks ‘Citizen Journalists’ to Record Problems Nov. 7, Newhouse News Service, November 2, 2006

31 James Rucker, “Fox News Doesn’t Care About Black People, Does the Congressional Black Caucus?” Sentinel, April 12, 2007 - April 18, 2007

32 Joe Garofoli, “Beating case galvanizes S.F. online activist group,” San Francisco Chronicle, September 22, 2007

33 Color of Change, Archived Website as of May 2, 2008, Accessed at http://web.archive.org/web/20080502233636/http://www.colorofchange.org/superd/, April 12, 2012

34 Darryl Fears, “Critics of Old Guard Take Black Activism Online,” The Washington Post, May 4, 2008

35 Perry Bacon, Jr., “Congressional Black Caucus frustrated with jobs legislation,” The Washington Post, February 23, 2010

36 Color of Change Website, Accessed at http://orig.colorofchange.org/nnhouse/, April 12, 2012

37 Sam Gustin, “African-American Group Asks Pelosi to Oppose Bobby Rush,” wired.com, November 18, 2010

38 Sam Gustin, “Silicon Valley’s Anna Eshoo Wins Key House Tech Post,” wired.com, January 20, 2011

39 David Honig, “Civility -- and Why Bobby Rush Should Be the Ranking Communications Subcommittee Member,” The Huffington Post, November 22, 2010

40 John M. Broder, “White House Official Resigns After G.O.P. Criticism,” The New York Times, September 7, 2009

41 Brian Stetler, “Host Loses Some Sponsors After an Obama Remark,” The New York Times, August 14, 2009

42 Corky Siemaszko, “Anti-Beck Advertisers Tally At 57,” New York Daily News, September 3, 2009

43 Democracy Now, April 8, 2011

44 Color of Change, Press Release, “Black Online Activists Call On Black Leaders To Reject Fox For Presidential Debates,” March 14, 2007

45 “Hip-hop artist Nas protests Fox coverage of Obama,” The Associated Press, July 23, 2008

46 Gary Strauss, “News Corp. drops BSkyB bid,” USA Today, July 14, 2011

47 Turn Off Fox Website, Accessed at http://turnofffox.org/about/, April 12, 2012

48 Krissah Thompson, “Civil rights activists jump online,” The Washington Post, December 28, 2010

49 Suzanne Gamboa, “Black group targets corporations over voting laws,” The Associated Press, December 8, 2011

50 Color of Change Website, Accessed at http://colorofchange.org/blog/2012/apr/4/watch-coc-ed-address-crowd-demanding-justice-trayv/, April 12, 2012

51 Color of Change, Press Release, “ColorOfChange applauds Wendy's decision to end membership in ALEC,” April 11, 2012



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