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


  • How the Climate Crisis is Most Detrimental to the Black Community
    Forrest Palmer
    How the Climate Crisis is Most Detrimental to the Black Community
    19 Jul 2023
    The earth recently experienced its hottest days on record. Here in the U.S. Black people face the worst consequences of the climate crisis.
  • Haiti 2023: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
    The Editors
    Haiti 2023: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
    19 Jul 2023
    Black Agenda Report continues its commitment to reporting on events in Haiti.
  • Kagame and Other Stooges Do U.S. Bidding in Haiti
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Kagame and Other Stooges Do U.S. Bidding in Haiti
    19 Jul 2023
    The U.S. is committed to invading Haiti but needs Black “leaders” to give them cover.
  • ESSAY: Who Are the Enemies of Affirmative Action? Gerald Horne, 1980
    Editors, The Black Agenda Review
    ESSAY: Who Are the Enemies of Affirmative Action? Gerald Horne, 1980
    19 Jul 2023
    The enemies of affirmative action programs are not just slick conservatives and vulgar racists, but also greasy liberals, argues Gerald Horne. And their efforts to dismantle such programs began as…
  • Haitians Protest UN Occupation and Pending Foreign “Intervention”
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Haitians Protest UN Occupation and Pending Foreign “Intervention”
    19 Jul 2023
    Haitians protest oligarchic rule, UN occupation, and foreign military "intervention."
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us