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

  • 2nd Amend Meant
    Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
    2nd Amend Meant
    26 Apr 2023
    2nd Amend Meant
  • US/EU/NATO Meet with Somaliland Secessionists
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    US/EU/NATO Meet with Somaliland Secessionists
    26 Apr 2023
    As Somaliland forces continue to fire on Somali nationalists in Laasaanood and the surrounding region, Sool, Sanaag and Cayn, US/EU/NATO officials held a joint call with secessionist…
  • BAR Book Forum: Nyasha Mboti’s Book, “Apartheid Studies: A Manifesto”
    Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Nyasha Mboti’s Book, “Apartheid Studies: A Manifesto”
    26 Apr 2023
    This week’s featured author is Nyasha Mboti. Mboti is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science at the University of the Free State in South Africa.  His book is Apartheid…
  • Joe Biden’s Petroleum Puppetry is Pulling the Strings of War and Environmental Racism
    Anthony Rogers-Wright
    Joe Biden’s Petroleum Puppetry is Pulling the Strings of War and Environmental Racism
    26 Apr 2023
    Joe Biden is like all of his party's predecessors. He talks a good game on environmental policy, but he is the front man for the fossil fuel industry and is even waging a proxy war in Ukraine to help…
  • A Win for Sudan’s Armed Forces Good for Democratic Transition
    Dr. Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad
    A Win for Sudan’s Armed Forces Good for Democratic Transition
    26 Apr 2023
    The battle between warring generals in Sudan must end with a return to civilian rule.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us