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


  • Israeli Ambassador at the United Nations
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Israel Declares Most of Humanity Illegitimate and Irrelevant
    01 Nov 2023
    After 120 members of the 193 members of the UN General Assembly called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Israel demonstrated its increasing isolation by declaring the UN illegitimate and irrelevant.
  • Facebook censorship
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Pro-Israel War Propaganda and Censorship
    25 Oct 2023
    Any public statement which questions Israel's war against Gaza is potentially met with personal attack and punishment but the stamp of approval from the Biden administration is the real cause of the…
  • Orisanmi Burton and his book, "Tip of the Sphere"
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Orisanmi Burton’s Book, “Tip of the Spear”
    25 Oct 2023
    This week’s featured author is Orisanmi Burton. His book is Tip of the Spear: Black Radicalism, Prison Repression, and the Long Attica Revolt
  • Javonte Alexander (left) and Basaime Spate (right), researchers at Center for Justice Innovation.
    Shannon Chaffers
    Driven By Fear: Why Some Brooklyn Youth Carry Guns
    25 Oct 2023
    Tropes about violent Black youth prevail but efforts to analyze the causes of firearm use are rarely seen.
  • Niger army sergeant and artist Maman Sani Maigochi performs as supporters gather at Place de la Concertation in the capital Niamey
    Black Alliance For Peace
    AFRICOM Watch Bulletin #48
    25 Oct 2023
    The Black Alliance for Peace U.S. Out of Africa Network provides an update of events taking place on the African continent.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us