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


  • Black Lives Matter Inland Empire Announces Break WIth BLM Global Network
    Former Inland Empire BLM
    Black Lives Matter Inland Empire Announces Break WIth BLM Global Network
    10 Feb 2021
    Black Lives Matter Inland Empire, in an open letter, last week announced its departure from the cash-heavy Black Lives Global Network.
  • Slave-built Infrastructure and Reparations
    Joshua F.J. Inwood and Anna Livia Brand
    Slave-built Infrastructure and Reparations
    10 Feb 2021
    US cities from Atlanta to New York City still use buildings, roads, ports and rail lines built by enslaved people.
  • Cedric Robinson and the Origins of Race
    Minkah Makalani
    Cedric Robinson and the Origins of Race
    10 Feb 2021
    An examination Robinson’s body of work can enrich our understanding of racial capitalism and offer additional tools for overcoming our political impasse.
  • The Vaccine Distribution Crisis: Capitalism in its Death Agony
    Mya Shone
    The Vaccine Distribution Crisis: Capitalism in its Death Agony
    10 Feb 2021
    The hoarding of existing supply and the refusal to create a vast public infrastructure capable of producing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines are inherent consequences of capitalism.
  • Electoral Politics Use The Same Containment Strategies As Alzheimer’s Facilities
    Caitlin Johnstone
    Electoral Politics Use The Same Containment Strategies As Alzheimer’s Facilities
    10 Feb 2021
    The US electoral system is like a dementia facility run by Democratic Party staff members pretending to want the same thing we want. “It’s a locked facility.”
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us