Chicago’s little-known experiment in radical democracy
In the 1970s, Chicago’s 44th Ward was placed under direct democratic control of its residents, challenging the corrupt mayor’s near-total control over the city. The objective of the ward assembly was two-fold: first, to direct the alderman on legislation in the city council, and second…
Making the transition from extraction to regeneration with Brandon King
Brandon King, Founding Member of Cooperation Jackson, shares his experiences helping conceive and build strategies and social structures that reveal that we can put our shoulders to the wheel and build a truly just and sustainable future. Photo: Elizabeth Lies
Tenants’ unions: building dual power in the neighborhood
For centuries, workers have organized themselves in order to collectively resist the oppressive and exploitative forces of capital. From the early 1900s to the current day, the most common form of worker organizing has been the labor union. With the rise of urbanization, over half…
Dual power then and now: from the Iroquois to Cooperation Jackson
For centuries, workers have organized themselves in order to collectively resist the oppressive and exploitative forces of capital. From the early 1900s to the current day, the most common form of worker organizing has been the labor union. With the rise of urbanization, over half…
Municipalist syndicalism: from the workplace to the community
Unions controlled by the rank-and-file can serve as a dual power bridgehead towards the democratization of cities, states and capital. Photo: Pixabay
Let’s talk about democracy. Real democracy
Democracy may look like a street protest where anyone leads a chant. It may look like a union meeting voting to strike. It may look like a lengthy speech by an elder explaining the founding values of the community. It may be an “assembly of…
Grassroots democracies form North American coalition
For a long weekend in September, 29 2019 organizations dedicated to participatory democracy and the solidarity economy gathered in Detroit for Symbiosis, a “Congress of Municipal Movements.” Despite working on similar projects, it was the first time that many participants had the opportunity to meet…
‘Fighting forward’ with cooperative power in the Bronx
The Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative, a network of various Bronx community groups, has four main components underway; the Innovation Factory, to develop new production and innovation capacity with digital manufacturing technology. The BronXchange, to get major local institutions such as Fordham University and Montefiore Medical…
Building a solidarity economy in Jackson, Mississippi
Cooperation Jackson is only five years old, but the vision behind it is older. The original founders began to strategize to build a community of cooperatives in 2001, while many still lived in disparate parts of the country. Eventually, they chose to launch their participatory…