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


  • Pamela Colloff
    Florida Is Executing Prisoners at a Record Pace, Even as Most of the U.S. Abandons the Death Penalty
    26 Aug 2026
    Early last year, Governor Ron DeSantis began signing death warrants at a faster rate than ever before. What followed was the most intense period of executions the state has carried out in more than…
  • Omar Zahzah
    Michigan 8 case is part of a broader pattern of repression
    26 Aug 2026
    Eight student activists in Michigan face decades in prison for advocating that their university divest from genocide. It is clear the goal of the indictment is to terrorize the Palestine solidarity…
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio August 21, 2026
    21 Aug 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss U.S. control over Venezuela and its resources, and the Venezuelan people's response to their loss of sovereignty. But we begin with a report on the police killing…
  • Kohen Wiley
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    One Year Old Kohen Wiley Killed Under Color of Law in Mississippi
    21 Aug 2026
    Our guest is attorney Jaribu Hill, executive director of the Mississippi Workers Center for Human Rights. She reports on the police killing of 1-year old Kohen Wiley in Senatobia, Mississippi and on…
  • Delcy Rodriguez
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Venezuela Under U.S. Attack
    21 Aug 2026
    On January 3, 2026, the U.S. conducted a military attack against Venezuela and kidnapped president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, First Combatant Cilia Flores. Since that time interim president Delcy…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us