The Obama administration is moving forward with its efforts to help underserved communities get hands-on training for green jobs, despite the resignation of Van Jones in September, the former White House environmentalist who reached out specifically to black Americans. 

“There are a range of people in every department who are assigned to get the word out about this unique and wonderful opportunity,” Valerie Jarrett, a White House senior advisor, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.  “There are many in the minority community - and in the African-American community - who want to work.”

Jarrett, one of President Barack Obama's most trusted aides, said there are many opportunities for green jobs, like retrofitting homes or putting on new roofs and installing windows.
“These are easy ways to create jobs for the unemployed,” she said. 

Jarrett’s comments come as the Department of Labor recently announced the allocation of $55 million in grants to help workers - many in communities of color - find jobs in expanding green industries.

As a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the grants are designed to help jump-start employment while also working toward a clean energy future, according to government officials. 

African-American communities are included in the grants, and a White House aide told BlackAmericaWeb.com that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has reached out directly to Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, to let him know about the announcement.

Solis told reporters the grants “will strengthen the capacity to provide training opportunities, support the collection and dissemination of invaluable state labor market information, and most importantly, help individuals acquire green jobs.”

In addition, Solis said, $5.8 million in grants will provide training opportunities specifically focused on jobs in expanding green industries.  The grants are part of the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to address the economic crisis in part through the creation of green jobs.

“What I'm interested in is taking action right now to help businesses create jobs right now, in the near term,” Obama said last week during a Jobs Summit at the White House. 

Jones, the controversial administration official specializing in environmentally-friendly green jobs, resigned in September after he was linked to efforts suggesting a government role in the 2001 terror attacks and to derogatory comments about Republicans.

But since Jones stepped down, the administration appears to have lost a powerful champion – and commanding voice – for African-Americans in the green movement.

In August, during an interview with BlackAmericaWeb.com, Jones said more African-Americans are embracing the notion that being environmentally friendly can also translate into jobs.    

“People in urban environments are excited about it,” Jones told BlackAmericaWeb.com. “Young men and women can get in on the ground floor.”

Some African-American political observers are wondering privately if the Obama administration will replace Jones with another outspoken black man. A White House aide told BlackAmericaWeb.com that Jones’ position is still vacant.

"The work on green jobs, enterprise and innovation has continued,” the aide said. “The entire Obama administration has and will continue to be committed to expanding green job opportunities for all Americans.”

A number of black agencies will benefit from the Labor Department grants, including the Urban League of Broward County. In partnership with the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority, the Urban League of Broward County will expand core youth development programs to include a green building and green careers capacity building component.

Other recipients include the Young Adult Development in Action, Inc. in Louisville, Kentucky; Aletheia House in Birmingham, Alabama; the ARCH Training Center, Inc. in Washington, D.C. and the City of Peoria Workforce Development Department. The Peoria program will connect the area’s youth to a new associate degree program in green construction. Youth participants will receive classroom-based and .....

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