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


  • Sara Flounders
    U.S./Israeli plans to destabilize Africa and Asia – Somaliland Recognition
    14 Jan 2026
    Breaking the longstanding African consensus on post-colonial borders, Israel is actively destabilizing an entire continent to serve its interests and Washington's.
  • Michael Smith
    Malcolm X’s Daughters Sue NYPD, FBI About Their Role in His Assassination
    14 Jan 2026
    A top-notch legal team is delving into how the FBI and their local police partners collaborated in both the assassination of Malcolm X and Chicago Black Panther Party leader Fred Hampton.
  • BAR Radio Logo
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Black Agenda Radio January 9, 2026
    09 Jan 2026
    In this week’s segment, we discuss why Israel is the first and only nation to recognize the Somaliland region of Somalia and the impact of this act on the Horn of Africa region. But we begin with a…
  • Pro-Venezuela protest
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Solidarity with Venezuela and Opposition to U.S. Aggression and Kidnapping of the Maduros
    09 Jan 2026
    The U.S. attack on Venezuela and kidnapping of the president and first lady are the culmination of years of intervention against that state. Corinna Mullin discusses the importance of anti-…
  • Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar and Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi
    Black Agenda Radio with Margaret Kimberley
    Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Destabilizes the Horn of Africa
    09 Jan 2026
    Israel is the first and only nation to recognize the Somaliland region of Somalia as an independent state. The zionist entity's plan to establish a military presence will enhance the U.S. decades-…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us