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


  • Tunde Osazua
    Violence and Extraction in Mozambique: How Neo-Colonial Forces and Corporate Interests Undermine Security
    13 Nov 2024
    Western corporate interests have targeted Mozambique to exploit its natural resources, using tactics of destabilization and neoliberal austerity measures to weaken the nation. While these imperialist…
  • Anthony Karefa Rogers-Wright
    Unprincipled, Unstrategic, and Unsustainable: e(U)logy for the U.S. Climate “Movement”
    13 Nov 2024
    The ineffectiveness of the climate movement during the 2024 election signals its inevitable collapse. But from the rubble, a new movement dedicated to the working class can be built.
  • Fedaa al-Qedra
    Palestinian surgeon survives Sde Teiman and Ofer Prison
    13 Nov 2024
    The heartwrenching story of Dr. Khaled Al Serr is a haunting example of the barbarity of the Israeli entity and the strength of the Palestinian people.
  • Stanley Kwabla Arku
    Niger to Host Conference in Solidarity with the Sahel Amid its Anti-Imperialist Upsurge
    13 Nov 2024
    Activists from across Africa and the world will gather in Niger from November 19 to 21 for the “Conference in Solidarity with the Peoples of the Sahel”.
  • Noah Hurowitz
    Congress Is About to Gift Trump Sweeping Powers to Crush His Political Enemies
    13 Nov 2024
    The House is set to vote Tuesday on a bill that would let the administration destroy nonprofits it claims support terrorism.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us