Description
Mississippi, the poorest state within the U.S. with the highest percentage of Black people, a history of vicious racial terror and concurrent Black resistance is the backdrop and context for the drama captured within the number of essays that may be Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Self-Determination in Jackson Mississippi.
Undeterred by the uncertainty, anxiety and fear brought about by the steady deterioration of the neoliberal order over the previous couple of years, the response from Black activists of Jackson, Mississippi has been to organize. Inspired by the wealthy history of struggle and resistance in Mississippi and committed to the vision of the Jackson-Kush Plan, these activists are building institutions rooted in community power that combine politics and economic development into an alternative model for change, whilst addressing real, immediate needs of the people. The experiences and analyses on this compelling collection reflect the creative power that may be unleashed when political struggle is grounded by a worldview freed from the inherent contradictions and limitations of reform liberalism. As such, Jackson Rising is in the end a story about a process that may be organized and controlled by Black people who find themselves openly declaring that their political project is committed to decolonization and socialism. And within those broad strategic and ethical objectives, Jackson Rising could also be a project unapologetically committed to self-determination for people of African descent in Mississippi and the South.