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

Cooperation Jackson's Kali Akuno: Elections Don’t Necessarily Change a Damn Thing
Nellie Bailey and Glen Ford
06 Dec 2017
🖨️ Print Article

A key strategist among the Black radicals that were behind the election of two Black mayors in Jackson, Mississippi, says his fellow activists have a decision to make: “Are we trying to be a good steward of the rules as they exist -- which I think is a complete waste of time -- or are we pushing for transformation of society?” asked Kali Akuno, of Cooperation Jackson. Akuno warned against falling into “the Syriza trap,” in which radicals wind up carrying out the policies imposed by banks and big business.

Cooperation Jackson

Related Podcasts

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
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
After Winning the Election Do We Govern the Place or Transform It? Kali Akuno on the Lessons of Jackson MS So Far
26 October 2017
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…

More Stories


  • Jeremy Scahill , Jawa Ahmad
    Exclusive: Internal Documents Show Trump’s “Board of Peace“ Moving to Crush Palestinian Self-Determination
    24 Jun 2026
    Gaza proposals obtained by Drop Site show Trump’s board attempting to force a Palestinian surrender that Israel could not achieve in war.
  • Matt Sledge
    Prairieland Defendant Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Moving a Box of Antifascist Zines
    23 Jun 2026
    Anti-ICE activists received lengthy prison terms — including a 100-year sentence — in the first major trial of the NSPM-7 era.
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Report June 19, 2026
    19 Jun 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss the increase in racist mob violence against Black and brown immigrants in Britain. First, we have a discussion of housing policy in New York, and why low and…
  • Rent rally
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Rent Regulation and the Housing Crisis for Black New Yorkers
    19 Jun 2026
    Many apartments in New York City are protected by rent regulations which determine how much rent can be charged and how much increases, if any, can be.
  • Burned Muslim owned business
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Racist Mob Attacks in Britain
    19 Jun 2026
    On June 8th, a knife attack in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the UK, was seen on video. The assailant was an African asylum seeker, and the victim was a local white resident. In the following days,…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us