Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

After Winning the Election Do We Govern the Place or Transform It? Kali Akuno on the Lessons of Jackson MS So Far
Bruce A. Dixon, BAR managing editor
26 Oct 2017
🖨️ Print Article

This is a hasty and cleaned up version of Kali Akuno's remarks at the Movement School for Revolutionaries, which was hosted by Cooperation Jackson in Jackson Mississippi on October 21, 2017. My apologies for the previous less accessible version and for this one too. Haven't edited video in a long while. Will do better next time, I promise.

Among much else, Akuno summarizes the long history of struggle, including electoral struggle to which Jackson MS and Cooperation Jackson are heirs. He outlines the factors behind Cooperation Jackson's break with City Hall in Jackson and with the Democratic party. He examines the problems encountered by left movements which win elections in this neoliberal era -- can the limited powers of local government be harnessed to transform the economy and peoples lives, or are local officials merely rubber stamps and friendly faces for the forces of austerity, perpetual war and privatization. Akuno also touches upon the connection between local and global politics, and frankly assesses the prospects of human, economic and social transformation from the front lines of Jackson Mississippi.

Cooperation Jackson

Related Podcasts

Cooperation Jackson's Kali Akuno: Elections Don’t Necessarily Change a Damn Thing
Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
Cooperation Jackson's Kali Akuno: Elections Don’t Necessarily Change a Damn Thing
06 December 2017
A key strategist among the Black radicals that were behind the election of two Black mayors in Jackson, Mississippi, says his fellow activists have
Coope ra tion Jackson: Reclaiming Democracy and Building a Solidarity Economy in Mississippi and Beyond
This Is Hell
Cooperation Jackson: Reclaiming Democracy and Building a Solidarity Economy in Mississippi and Beyond
01 November 2017
Kali Akuno and Ajamu Nangwaya discuss building a solidarity economy at Cooperation Jack

More Stories


  • AsheNews
    An Open Letter to William Ruto, By Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o
    05 Jun 2024
    Kenyan President William Ruto is serving the role of a comprador facilitating the continued colonization of Kenya and betraying the revolutionary history of their people.
  • Abayomi Azikiwe
    State Repression and Palestine Solidarity
    05 Jun 2024
    The destruction of encampments and the arrests of more than 3,000 students and faculty members have not stopped the movement for divestment.
  • Omar Karmi
    Rudderless, Incompetent and Complicit
    05 Jun 2024
    The U.S. policy regarding the genocide in Gaza is one of incompetence and duplicity.
  • Black Alliance For Peace
    Afghanistan News Update #22 May 27th, 2024
    05 Jun 2024
    Afghans for a Better Tomorrow discuss the current state of Afghanistan and their work organizing against U.S. imperialism.
  • Jemima Pierre
    Jemima Pierre, BAR Editor and Contributor
    Webinar: National Liberation and Imperialism’s Crises
    05 Jun 2024
    Imperialism is in crisis around the world, and that crisis is being expressed through its extreme brutality and genocide. Movements resisting this colonial domination are growing. BAR Editor Dr.…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us