Yours truly had the honor of being in Jackson and helping out on election day. A brief article on the victory can be found here. Contrary to what's stated in the article, the turnout in Ward 2 was actually higher in the run-off than in the first election, going against conventional wisdom. This was clearly a result of the Lumumba campaign's efforts to reach out to the voters and to involve them in the People's Assembly concept. Information about the People's Assembly and the People's Platform can be found at www.electlumumbaward2.com, where you can also make a donation to the campaign so that it can continue it's transformative work on participatory democracy!
The following is the official victory statement from the Lumumba campaign.
Committee to Elect Chokwe Lumumba May 19th Victory Statement
Transforming Ward 2, Jackson, and the South.
A genuine peoples victory was won on Tuesday, May 19th, 2009, the 84th Birthday of Malcolm X (El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz). The people’s lawyer, attorney Chokwe Lumumba, was elected to the City Council in Jackson, Mississippi representing Ward 2.
The foundation of this victory was laid by the decades of dedicated community service and organizing done by Attorney Lumumba, the New Afrikan People’s Organization (NAPO), and the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) here in Jackson. The victory was secured through the broad mass mobilization and fundraising efforts of the campaigns organizers, supporters and allies in Jackson and throughout the United States.
By electing Lumumba the residents of Ward 2 declared that they want a new leadership committed to their social and economic interests, and that of the City, with a proven ability to organize, motivate, and educate for positive change. By organizing themselves into People’s Assemblies in support of the election campaign, the people of Ward 2 have begun to build and exercise the power necessary to address their needs and solve the problems of their ward. Through the vehicle of the People’s Assembly the residents of Ward 2 have determined that the People’s Platform is THEIR Platform.
A new, independent, and potentially transformative force is being built in Jackson through the combined power of the Council office and the People’s Assembly. This force will not be bound by the confines of the two-party system. The building of this force will advance the development of a genuine participatory democracy that will help our people fulfill all their human rights, including the economic, social and cultural rights so often denied in the United States.
We hope this victory and the development of this model will not only inspire but also help build a new force in Black and progressive politics in the United States, one that will put the needs of people and the environment before profits. The victory on May 19th was just the first step. Now the hard work of utilizing the limited political power in this victory enables us to transform Ward 2, the entire city of Jackson and beyond. We hope everyone who reads and or hears about this victory will pass on this critical news and join us in the concrete work of building viable alternatives for the people of Ward 2, Jackson, the South and entire country by any means necessary!
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