Full Biography for Ernest K. "Ernie" Jones, Jr.

Ernie acts with conscience, he is not a politician. He is a citizen of the United States who is outraged that 36 million Americans live in poverty. He is a Revolutionary who believes a two party system is anti-democracy and that capitalism is its weapon against the citizens. Ernie believes that social problems can be solved if we redirect our priorities. He believes that world peace can be obtained if the United States takes the first step towards complete disarmament. Ernie believes the spirit within us is what will bring about social good that democracy demands. And democracy commands citizen action and viligance of the tryanny of the powerful few.

Ernie has over 20 years experience working in human services and social justice disciplines. Ernie works full time as Director of the Supportive Housing Program for Ukiah Community Center, Ukiah, California. Ernie is directly involved in providing advocacy services for homeless families and the disabled through cooperative partnerships with government and other human service agencies in Mendocino County, California.

Ernie is an African-American who traces his family as far back as 1878 in Mississippi. His family members recollections have given him African, Cherokee, Irish and English ancesters. His parents moved from Mississippi to Chicago during the Great Migration of African-Americans in the 40's, and Ernie and fraternal twin brother Ronald were born in Chicago, Illinois, March 28, 1948. Ernie's mother, Susie taught home economics in Chicago high schools for 30 years and Ernie's father, Ernest, Sr. worked 24 years as a porter on the Rock Island railroad. Both were strong union members. Ernie lost his parents in 1993 within 6 months of one another after 54 years of marriage.

Work and community obligation were very strong traits in the Jones family. Throughout high school Ernie was a member of Young Christian Students and participated in voter registration drives, tutoring at orphanges, and volunteering in hospitals in Chicago. Ernie worked during summer vacations as a dishwasher, a book packer, and equipment installer for Illinois Bell. In his junior year Ernie was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to attend the University of Chicago summer program in science for students interested in Medicine. Ernie participated in track and lettered in the discus. He graduated from DeLaSalle Institute in 1966, and started his college education at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois. At NIU he was initiated into Epsilon Phi chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and proudly shares an honored tradition with such noteables as, Martin Luther King, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robson, Adam Clayton Powell, and Jessie Owens. Dr. Ronald C. Jones teaches at Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Virginia.

In 1968, Ernie began a four year enlistment in the United States Marine Corps. Ernie trained as a radio repairman and served at Camp Pendleton and Camp LeJune. Ernie also studied Vietnamese for 47 weeks and graduated from the Defense Language Institute (DLI) at the Presidio of Monterey, Monterey, California in 1970. Ernie was Honorably Discharged with a ten percent medical disability in 1971.

Ernie returned to work in 1972, taking a job at Monterey Peninsula Cable Television as an installer and later as technician. Ernie organized this work site with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1245 in 1973 and served as chief negotiator and shop steward for 5 years. He then went to work for Pacific Gas & Electric Company in Salinas, California. He progressed from helper to Electrician after completing a three year California State Apprenticeship program, and continued working until suffering an industrial injury in 1985. Ernie worked as Business Representative for Local 1245 representing Pacific Gas & Electric workers in Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano and Lake counties. He also served on the Executive committee of the Central Labor Council for Sonoma, Lake, and Mendocino counties.

In 1988 Ernie graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior. He went to work for Marriott Corporation in San Francisco supervising housekeeping staff at acute care hospitals in the Bay area. It was during this period that Ernie was recommended by union members to work for their union. Ernie served as Field Representative for Hospital and Health Care Workers Union, Local 250, representing convalscent hospital workers in Monterey, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

His management experience includes Supervisor of the GAIN program and Project Manager for HUD Section 8 for Lake County. Ernie was also Services Coordinator for Family Support Center in Santa Rosa, and is currently Director, Supportive Housing Program (HUD) for Ukiah Community Center in Mendocino County.

Ernie is founder of Displaced Workers Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, who advocate for at-risk community members through direct representation in administrative hearings, job skills assessment and resume writing, and micro-business and economic development. This agency was a program sponsor for 3 AmeriCorps participants in 1994, working in Sonoma County.

Ernie was appointed to the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights and served two terms as chairman. Ernie was also the recipient of the Linda Rayner Volunteerism Award for 1993 in Sonoma County for his work with people who were homeless.

Ernie is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior, and he has completed 20 units at Empire College School of Law.