Friday, May 2, 2014

Greetings:

Welcome to the Jackson Rising: New Economies Conference 2014 here in the phenomenal city of Jackson, Mississippi! The primary objective of the Conference is to educate and mobilize the people of Jackson to meet the economic and sustainability needs of our community.

Mississippi was a center of the Civil Rights Movement, and successfully captured the national stage particularly in 1963, 1964 and 1966. During that time, several activists formed the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), to coordinate activities in voter registration and to educate the civil rights groups in Mississippi including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

In 1963 COFO organized a Freedom Vote in Mississippi to demonstrate the desire of Black Mississippians to vote. More than 80,000 people quickly registered and voted in mock elections, which positioned candidates from the "Freedom Party" against the official state Democratic Party candidates. This helped to grow a sense of self determination in the Freedom Movement.

Following this, the famous March Against Fear culminated in Jackson, MS in June 1966, when Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure) delivered his famous Black Power speech stating,

Now we are engaged in a psychological struggle in this country, and that is whether or not Black people will have the right to use the words they want to use without white people giving their sanction to it. And we gonna use the word Black Power.

Standing for human rights often resulted in the loss of housing, property, jobs and even lives. To overcome these attacks and create spaces of autonomous power, a number of cooperative and life affirming institutions were built by Black people in Jackson and throughout the South.

We stand firmly on the shoulders of these traditions and of those who came before us. We aim to build new initiatives that posit Jackson as a center and example of economic democracy. As a result of expanding the discussion about alternative economic models and systems that confront the harsh economic realities impacting low-income and impoverished communities, we hope to build strong cooperatives and financial institutions that will create jobs with dignity, stability, living wages, and quality benefits. We are so glad you have joined us for this discussion.Again, we welcome you to Jackson Rising: New Economies Conference 2014, and look forward to exchanging ideas and to establishing the means to create economic democracy in Jackson and beyond!

With love and respect,Jackson Rising Organizing Committee

Logistical InformationREGISTRATION:

Registration opens at the following times: Friday, May 2 @ 10am and will close at 9pm Saturday, May 3 @ 8am and will close at 5pm Sunday, May 4 @ 8am and will close at 2pm

LOCATIONS:

Registration and plenaries are at the Walter Payton Center. Workshops and Networking Sessions will take place in the Dollye M. E. Robinson Building and the College of Business.

SHUTTLES:

If you cannot find the van, please call James at (601) 540-3050. We will be providing airport shuttle service three times per each day. Thursday, May 1 @ 12noon, 5pm & 9pm Friday, May 2 @ 12noon, 4pm & 8pm Sunday, May 3 @ 9am, 12:30pm & 3:30pm

Shuttles will be available to pick up and drop off participants at the following designated conference hotels:

Cabot Lodge Millsaps morning pick-up at 7:30am Holiday Inn Express Jackson-Coliseum morning pick-up at 7:45pm Hilton Garden Inn Jackson Downtown (King Edward) morning pick-up at 7:30am Sleep Inn & Suites Downtown morning pick-up at 7:45am

DRIVING AND PARKING:

Please avoid the Westside of campus. Due to commencement on Friday, May 2nd, please avoid using the Ellis Ave exit off of Highway 20 and use the University Blvd exit instead. Lynch Street should be avoided due to heavy traffic.

CONTACT NUMBERS:

General Information - Shelby Parsons 916.213.1804Media Contact - Macy Russell 601.212.6513Transportation - James Parker 601.540.3050Housing: Sara Kershnar 510.685.5347

Community Norms

1. Respect the Agenda

2. Respect the Facilitator and Facilitation

3. Step Back/Step Up

4. Regulate Yourself: Be mindful of various points of privilege you may have and how much time you spend talking.

5. Frank exchanges of different views are welcomed, but shall not be done in a disrespectful and uncomradely manner. Respect between those with

competing ideas is necessary for constructive debate.

6. Attacks on individuals and organizations that go beyond the scope of objective and principled criticism shall not be welcomed, and shall be called

out.

7. Promotions of male supremacy and homophobia shall not be welcomed in this conference, and shall be called out.

8. Children are welcome in all conference spaces

Jackson Rising: New Economies Conference

PROGRAM AT A GLANCEFriday, May 2nd

10 am Registration begins

1 4 pm Volunteer Orientation

5:30 Dinner Begins

6 - 9 pm Opening Plenary Welcome From MCs - IyaFalola Omobola and Tongo Eisen-Martin Greetings from Mayor Gayle McGlaughlin Establishing the Context: Producing Sustainable Wealth and Jobs with Justice in Jackson - Kali

Akuno and Ed Whitfield Telling Our Story: The History of Black Cooperative Development - Jessica Gordon Nembhard,

Wendell Paris, and Cornelius Blanding Conference Overview and Closing MCs

Saturday, May 3rd

Breakfast (8 am 9 pm)

Session 1 Saturday Morning (9 11 am)Trainings and Workshops

Title Organizations Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (Jackson Focused)

1. Federation of Southern Cooperatives2. Federation of Southern Cooperatives3. Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (Southern Regional Focus)

1. Southern Grassroots Economies Project2. Southern Grassroots Economies Project3. Southern Grassroots Economies Project

Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (National Focus)

1. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives2. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives3. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Mondragon Union Co-ops: Overcoming the Economics of Inequality

Mondragon USA, Cincinnati Union-Coop Initiative and UFCW International

Green Worker Cooperatives Green Worker Cooperatives

Rural/Urban Coop Connections

Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Building a Cooperative Community

Cooperative Community of New West Jackson

Advancing a Common Strategy for Workers Rights in the South

AFL-CIO and Black Workers for Justice

Advancing Public Policy to Support Cooperatives and Workers Rights

Coalition for a Prosperous Mississippi, Mississippi One Voice and Southern Grassroots Economies Project

Abolish Corporate Constitutional Rights

Move to Amend

Financing Cooperatives and the Cooperative Movement

Fund for Democratic Communities and the Working World

Bottom Up Co-Ops: The Crisis, the Take, and the Worker Ownership Solution

Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Cincinnati Union-Coop Initiative, Far Rockaway/Occupy Sandy, Green Worker Cooperatives

Mapping the Solidarity Economy

US Solidarity Economy Network and the Highlander Research and Education Center

Communal Territories in Venezuela: Redesigning Communities Through Participatory Planning

Omar Sierra, Deputy Consul General of Venezuela in Boston, Venezuela

Lunch Break (11 am 1 pm, with Plenary)

Plenary #2 (11:15 am 12:45 pm)Building Cooperatives, Worker Democracy, and Community Wealth: National Lessons

1. Omar Freilla, Green Worker Cooperatives2. Steve Dubb, Democracy Collaborative 3. Michael Peck, Mondragon USA 4. Melvin Ricky Maclin, New Era Windows and Doors 5. Saladin Muhammad, Black Workers for Justice 6. MaryBe McMillian, Secretary/Treasurer, North Carolina, AFL-CIO

Session 2 - Saturday Afternoon (1 3 pm)Trainings and Workshops

Title Organizations Starting a Cooperative in Jackson

1. Federation of Southern Cooperatives2. Federation of Southern Cooperatives3. Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Starting a Cooperative in the South

1. Southern Grassroots Economies Project2. Southern Grassroots Economies Project3. Southern Grassroots Economies Project

Starting a Cooperative 1. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives2. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives3. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives

Developing Participatory Democracy to advance Economic Democracy

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Jackson Peoples Assembly

Land Trusts/Coop Housing Dudley St. Initiative, Take Back the Land and Right to the City Alliance

Worker Organization, Worker Ownership, and Worker Self-Management

Black Left Unity Network

From Defensive to Offensive Strategies for Economic Justice

US Social Forum

Legislative promotion and support of Cooperatives and Cooperative Development

Mississippi Representative James Evans

Building Community Wealth by Organizing Anchor Institutions

Democracy Collaborative

Connecting the Dots, Growing Co-Ops: Regional Cooperative Initiatives Around the World

Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Quebec Chantier, Italian Solidarity Purchase Groups, Mondragon USA and International Labor Organization

Cooperative Development and Community Economic Development

Fund for Democratic Communities

Ujamaa: 21st Century Cooperative Economics

Us Lifting Us Economic Development Cooperative, LLC.

Building Ties for Land Autonomy Afro-Descendant Community Council of La Toma, Cauca, Colombia

Building a Southern Worker Coop Movement

Southern Grassroots Economies Project

Political Education for Popular Economics

US Solidarity Economy Network, Highlander Research and Education Center and Cooperation Texas

Session 3 Saturday Afternoon (3:15 5:15)Cooperative Enterprise Case Studies and Networking Conversations

Industry Facilitator Waste Management (Recycling and Composting)

Kali Akuno

Skilled and Unskilled Labor Lalit ClarksonUrban Farming, Food Service, Processing and Manufacturing

Nia Umoja

Health Care Adofo MinkaChild Care Sacajawea Hall Auto Care Tongo Eisen-Martin

Land Trust, Land Bank, Housing brandon king Bank, Credit Union, Financial Institution Dr. Demetri Marshal Arts and Cultural Production IyaFalola Omobola Laundry Nina Carmichael

Dinner Break (5:30 6:30 pm)

Plenary #3 (6:30 9 pm)Building the Solidarity Economy, Economic Democracy, and Participatory Democracy: International Lessons

and Examples

Special Tribute to Mayor Chokwe Lumumba - Chokwe Antar Lumumba

1. Francois Vermette, Chantier, Quebec 2. Pierre LaLiberte, International Labor Organization, Switzerland 3. Mazibuko Jara, Amandla! Magazine and Alternative and Information and Development Centre,

South Africa4. Elbart Vingwe, Organization of Collective Cooperatives in Zimbabwe 5. Omar Sierra, Deputy Consul General of Venezuela in Boston, Venezuela 6. Janvieve Williams-Comrie, Green Worker Cooperatives, United States

Sunday, May 4th

Breakfast (8 am 9 am)

Session #4 (9 11 am)Applying Our Lessons: Networking Sessions

Cooperation Jackson and Cooperative Community of New West Jackson - Next Steps for building a Federation of Cooperatives in Jackson, MS

Southern Grassroots Economies Project: Building a Southern Worker Cooperative Movement US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, US Solidarity Economy Network and Rosa Luxemburg

Foundation: Building National and International Support for the Cooperative Movement in Jackson and the Southern Region of the United States

Fund for Democratic Communities and the Working World: Resourcing Cooperatives in Jackson and the Southern Region

Session #5 (11:15 am 12:30 pm)Going Forward. Collective Sharing and Networking Session

Lunch 12:30 1:30 pm

Closing Plenary 12:45 3 pmMoving Forward: Transforming Jackson, Transforming Mississippi, Transforming the South

Ralph Paige, Federation of Southern Cooperatives Ed Whitfield, Fund for Democratic Communities Elandria Williams, Highlander Education and Research Center Melbah Smith, Coalition for a Prosperous Mississippi Jim Evans, State Representative and AFL-CIO Representative Kali Akuno, Cooperation Jackson

Case Studies and Networking Sessions

PurposeThis session will be an opportunity to move forward on creating a co-op that will exist in the federation of co-ops of Cooperation Jackson. The purpose of this session is not just to begin planning the co-op that will address the identified need, but also to understand the context of this work that we are doing to build a solidarity economy in Jackson. This is not about one trade, one product, one service, or even one industry that we are going to put in the hands of the people; this is about putting the entire economy in the hands of the people.

These Network sessions were developed as a result of needs identified by Cooperation Jackson through its outreach work and its study of the economy and the forces that presently control it.

Working Questions

1. The number one goal in creating the co-op is how can we build co-op that takes care of its members, our families, and our communities. How do we build this co-op to achieve this goal?

2. What resources, human and material, do we need for this co-op?3. What goods and services can we provide, keeping in mind that it is time to re-imagine the

economy? We are no longer constrained by only doing what makes money. What innovations can we bring to the field?

4. What is wrong with the field under the current system and how can we correct it with the co-op model?

5. What can we put into place to train people who join the co-op?

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