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

  • The Limits of "Lived Experience"
    Erica Caines
    The Limits of "Lived Experience"
    15 Sep 2021
    The mantra of "lived experience" can be a dangerous cover for reactionary politics.
  • Democrats, Abortion and Phony Politics
    Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
    Democrats, Abortion and Phony Politics
    08 Sep 2021
    Democratic party leadership are as uninterested in fighting for abortion rights as they are in addressing anything else their members need and want.
  • American Liberals Praise Biden at the Expense of True Peace
    Danny Haiphong, BAR Contributing Editor
    American Liberals Praise Biden at the Expense of True Peace
    08 Sep 2021
    Joe Biden is committed to the imperatives of the bipartisan war party.
  • U.S. is Waging Domestic War and Preparing for More
    ​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
    U.S. is Waging Domestic War and Preparing for More
    08 Sep 2021
    A new report on cost of US domestic and international militarization brings the domestic situation into sharp focus.
  • The United States and the United Nations are responsible for the ongoing plight of Rwandan refugees.
    Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    US and UN Treachery in the African Great Lakes Region: Why Rwandan Refugees Don’t Want to Go Home
    08 Sep 2021
    The United States and the United Nations are responsible for the ongoing plight of Rwandan refugees.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us