Jackson Rising: New Economies Conference Program Overview

Friday, May 2nd

10 am Registration begins 1 – 4 pm Volunteer Orientation 5:30 Dinner Begins 6 - 9 pm Opening Plenary

Welcome From MC’s - Iya’Falola 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 – MC’s

Saturday, May 3rd

Breakfast (8 am – 9 pm)

Session 1 – Saturday Morning (9 – 11 am)

Trainings and Workshops Title Organizations /Rooms Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (Jackson Focused)

1. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-120 2. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-121 3. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-122

Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (Southern Regional Focus)

1. Southern Grassroots Economies Project LIB-143 2. Southern Grassroots Economies Project LIB-144

Coop 101: Introduction to Cooperatives (National Focus)

1. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-262 2. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-263 3. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-264

Mondragon Union Co-ops: Overcoming the Economics of Inequality

Mondragon USA, Cincinnati Union-Coop Initiative and UFCW International COB-148

Green Worker Cooperatives Green Worker Cooperatives COB-145 Rural/Urban Coop Connections

Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-146

Building a Cooperative Cooperative Community of New West Jackson LIB-255

Community Advancing a Common Strategy for Workers Rights in the South

AFL-CIO and Black Workers for Justice COB-119

Advancing Public Policy to Support Cooperatives and Workers Rights

Coalition for a Prosperous Mississippi, Mississippi One Voice and Southern Grassroots Economies Project LIB-153

Abolish Corporate Constitutional Rights

Move to Amend LIB-257

Financing Cooperatives and the Cooperative Movement

Fund for Democratic Communities and the Working World LIB-204

Bottom Up Co-Op’s: The Crisis, the Take, and the Worker Ownership Solution

Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Cincinnati Union-Coop Initiative, Far Rockaway/Occupy Sandy, Green Worker Cooperatives LIB-123

Mapping the Solidarity Economy

US Solidarity Economy Network and the Highlander Research and Education Center COB-204

Communal Territories in Venezuela: Redesigning Communities Through Participatory Planning

Omar Sierra, Deputy Consul General of Venezuela in Boston, Venezuela LIB-145

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 Cooperatives 2. 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 /Rooms Starting a Cooperative in Jackson 1. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-120

2. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-121 3. Federation of Southern Cooperatives COB-122

Starting a Cooperative in the South 1. Southern Grassroots Economies Project LIB-143 2. Southern Grassroots Economies Project LIB-144

Starting a Cooperative Nationally 1. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-262 2. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-263

3. US Federation of Worker Cooperatives LIB-264 Developing Participatory Democracy to advance Economic Democracy

Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and the Jackson People’s Assembly - COB-148

Land Trusts/Coop Housing Dudley St. Initiative, Take Back the Land and Right to the City Alliance - LIB-263

Worker Organization, Worker Ownership, and Worker Self-Management

Black Left Unity Network - COB-205

From Defensive to Offensive Strategies for Economic Justice

US Social Forum – COB-237

Legislative promotion and support of Cooperatives and Cooperative Development

Mississippi Representative James Evans and State Senator John Horhn – COB-239

Building Community Wealth by Organizing Anchor Institutions

Democracy Collaborative – LIB-154

Connecting the Dots, Growing Co-Op’s: Regional Cooperative Initiatives Around the World

Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Quebec Chantier, Italian Solidarity Purchase Groups, Mondragon USA and International Labor Organization – COB-119

Cooperative Development and Community Economic Development

Fund for Democratic Communities - LIB-204

Ujamaa: 21st Century Cooperative Economics

Us Lifting Us Economic Development Cooperative, LLC. – LIB-265

Building Ties for Land Autonomy Afro-Descendant Community Council of La Toma, Cauca, Colombia – LIB-254

Building a Southern Worker Coop Movement

Southern Grassroots Economies Project - LIB-264

Political Education for Popular Economics

US Solidarity Economy Network, Highlander Research and Education Center and Cooperation Texas – COB-145

Session 3 – Saturday Afternoon (3:15 – 5:15)

Cooperative Enterprise Case Studies and Networking Conversations Industry Facilitator Waste Management (Recycling and Composting)

Kali Akuno – LIB-204

Skilled and Unskilled Labor Lalit Clarkson – LIB-264 Urban Farming, Food Service, Processing and Manufacturing

Nia Umoja – LIB-263

Health Care Adofo Minka – LIB-143 Child Care Sacajawea Hall – LIB-155 Auto Care Tongo Eisen-Martin – LIB-262 Land Trust, Land Bank, Housing brandon king – LIB-155 Bank, Credit Union, Financial Institution Dr. Demetri Marshal –LIB-154 Arts and Cultural Production Iya’Falola Omobola – LIB-153 Laundry Nina Carmichael – LIB-257

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 Africa 4. 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 – LIB-145

Southern Grassroots Economies Project: Building a Southern Worker

Cooperative Movement – LIB-154

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 – COB-119

Fund for Democratic Communities and the Working World: Resourcing

Cooperatives in Jackson and the Southern Region – COB-148

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 pm

Moving 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

Human Rights Testimony: Dollye M. Robinson College of Liberal Arts (LIB 157)

Human Rights Testimony: Dollye M. Robins College of Liberal Arts (LIB 157)

Saturday, May 3rd 9 am – 6 pm

Sunday, May 4th 9 am – 1:30 pm

Share your Testimony regarding how your economic, social and cultural rights have

been denied or unfulfilled where you work, receive health services, education, and

live by the government or private sources of authority (employers, doctors,

educators, etc.)

Your Testimonies will be compiled and shared at the United Nations (UN) as part of

a report the US Human Rights Network (USHRN) will be sharing with the Committee

to Eliminate All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which will be reviewing the

United States government’s record of compliance with International Law in August

2014. For more information on the US Human Rights Network see

http://www.ushrnetwork.org/.