The Center for Heterodox Economics in Tulsa, Oklahoma (CHE-Tulsa) will host an insightful discussion on Friday, March 7, with renowned Richard Wolff and cooperative expert Kali Akuno, the co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jacksonand co-editor of “Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi.”
Beginning at 6 p.m. CT, the subject of the March series is “Beyond Exploitation: Workers’ Self-Management for a New Era.” The session will be live-streamed and recorded on the CHE YouTube channel. The in-person session will take place at 101 E. Archer, Tulsa, Okla. They will explore working-class struggles and the power of solidarity in workers’ self-management. Register here
Kali Akuno is a co-founder and co-director of Cooperation Jackson and co-editor of “Jackson Rising: the struggle for economic democracy and black self-determination in Jackson, Mississippi.” The broad mission of Cooperation Jackson is to advance the development of economic democracy in Jackson, Mississippi by building a solidarity economy anchored by a network of cooperatives and other types of worker-owned and democratically self-managed enterprises.
Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Self-Determination in Jackson, MS is a chronicle of one of the most dynamic experiments in radical social transformation in the United States. The book documents the ongoing organizing and institution building of the political forces concentrated in Jackson, Mississippi dedicated to advancing the “Jackson-Kush Plan”.
Akuno served as the Director of Special Projects and External Funding in the Mayoral Administration of the late Chokwe Lumumba of Jackson, MS. His focus in this role was supporting cooperative development, the introduction of eco-friendly and carbon reduction methods of operation, and the promotion of human rights and international relations for the city.
As economic inequality widens and wages struggle to keep pace with inflation, renowned Marxian economist Richard Wolff is set to challenge the very foundations of our economic system. In his upcoming talk, Wolff will argue that the capitalist focus on enriching capital owners at the expense of workers has created an unsustainable and unjust economy. Drawing sharp contrasts with mainstream economic policies that prioritize corporate bailouts and tax cuts for the wealthy, Wolff will lay out his vision for a labor-centric model—where worker cooperatives, progressive taxation, and democratized workplaces take center stage. With AI threatening to erode jobs further and inflation outpacing wages, Wolff's critique of capitalism promises to be both timely and provocative. Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and currently a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Program of International Affairs, New School University, New York. Recent publications include Understanding Capitalism (2024), Understanding Socialism (2020), Understanding Marxism (2019), and so forth. Wolff produces/hosts the weekly program, “Economic Update” broadcast on over 100 radio stations and to millions globally. His research now focuses on the causes and consequences of the deepening inequalities of income and wealth, the deepening public and private dependence on debt, and the cyclical instability shaping today’s US economy. His work also concerns the special role of the global rise of China among those causes and consequences. He is founded Democracy at Work to promote the idea of moving beyond capitalism through the transformation of the workplace Find more of his talks on Wolff’s YouTube channel.
