Van Jones is working hard to bring light to prison reform and start a national conversation about our criminal justice system ... but he says a few celebs are outshining him.
We got the CNN host at Chelsea Studios in NYC Tuesday and asked who he thinks is stepping up the most for the cause ... he points to Meek Mill, calling him a "massive hero" for using his own case as a launching pad to help others.
Van then praises Kim Kardashian West for ignoring the skeptics and proving her ambitions and involvement are no joke ... and he believes it's a sign people from all walks of life have realized we have way too many prisoners in the U.S.
T.I. also gets a major shout-out for working with a church in Georgia to raise $120k to bail out 23 nonviolent offenders for Easter. Van says the rapper's "doing good by the hood," and if more people followed his lead ... things would improve very quickly.
There's a reason Van's so impressed by this group -- and it has nothing to do with celebrity. It's because they're doing the kinds of things he plans to spotlight on his new show, 'The Redemption Project.'